Wilmot council passes 2019 budget

NEW HAMBURG — Wilmot council passed its 2019 budget on Monday which includes a two per cent increase in the municipal levy.

The increase will result in about a $13.48 per year jump in taxes for residents with an average property assessment of $397,300.

Included in the budget is $6.7 million in spending under the 2019 Capital Program.

The 2019 budget includes an allocation of $349,000 to infrastructure reserve funds. This is below the 2018 allocation of $490,529 due to a reduction in the level of funding provided from the province.

As part of the budget, an annual review of water and wastewater rates were completed. The township will be increasing water rates by 2.9 per cent and wastewater rates by 7.9 per cent.

Included in the approved budget were $66,500 in grants to community groups and voluntary organizations.

“Like any process, you never get 100 per cent of what you want out of it, but working within the constraints of the amount of money we have available, I feel fairly satisfied with the outcome,” said Coun. Jenn Pfenning on Tuesday.

Pfenning says she will be “digging into” particular items as well in the near future.

It was the first budget Pfenning has been involved with, since she was elected into Wilmot council in October.

“I was very satisfied and pleased with the response from staff on every question that was raised. They gave us lots of detail and did a good job,” she said.