It appears City Council is ready to trim its water and sewer budget increase from 3.73 per cent to 2.42 per cent.

At a special budget committee meeting last night (Monday) Engineering and Works Chair Councillor Tanya Vrebosch said she’ll recommend the increase to council as the best compromise she could reach.

“It’s not exactly what I wanted as I think that there is still a little bit of a risk with it, but it is the best compromise I can get to get consensus moving forward for council,” she said.

The move will save the average homeowner about just over $2 a month.

But, Councillor George Maroosis wanted to cut it down even further to 2 per cent by using a reserve fund.

‘‘It just seems to me there’s not a good reason not to have an increase at the rate of inflation, whichi is about 2 per cent,” he said.

The reduction of about $270,000 will be found by cutbacks in items such as gravel use, meter maintenance and overtime.

Vrebosch admits there will be a lot of nickel and diming to cut that money, but is frustrated fellow councillors won’t stomach real service cuts.

“The ones that really want to see a change, the ones that really want to see a reduction, they continue to ask for reductions but they never put anything forward to say let’s see some real service reductions. It’s not fun, it’s not pretty,” she said.

 

Meantime, at the regular meeting last night, Council approved maintaining the existing election model for the 2018 municipal vote.

However, staff will monitor the implementation of ranked ballet voting in other communities around the province.

Council also directed officials to sign a letter of agreement with the province involving nearly $885,000 under the dedicated gas tax funds for public transportation program.

The 2016/17 funding is to be used to ensure local public transportation services continue and expand.