Nothing is set in stone yet for the 2017 General Capital Budget and Water and Waste Water Capital Budget.

Chief Financial Officer Margaret Karpenko says staff is recommending a $44-million budget which is $5-million more than last year.

She points though there are funding opportunities available which would account for the higher budget figure.

Of note: staff is looking at bringing in long term capital projects earlier because of those funding opportunities.

Karpenko says 1 is a $6-million job on Cedar Heights.

She says they are proposing that project to start next year instead of 2019.

And that would mean the Lakeshore Drive project could begin in 2019.

It’s currently scheduled for 2023.

That is a $12-million project.

There will be a special meeting on the capital budget next Tuesday when council will be asking specific questions about individual projects not just general questions as was the case last night.

They are also proposing a 1/2 per cent increase in the capital levy.

Karpenko says it’s too soon to say what that’ll mean for the homeowner but usually it drives the city’s operating costs up.