Saugeen Shores Council and staff have finalized the town’s draft budget for 2009.
Mayor Mike Smith is extremely pleased that council and staff were able to keep this year’s levy increase at three percent.
He says nothing was cut from the operating budget at all, and that means ratepayers will not see a reduction in municipal services.
However, some changes were made in the capital budget.
Smith says the proposal to issue laptops to councilors and move to paperless council meetings won’t happen this year.
He says the full cost wasn’t exactly known and modifications would have been needed to the council chambers.
Smith says the project to rebuild the Bruce-Saugeen Townline road has also been scaled back.
The project is a joint effort with Kincardine and would have cost around 750 thousand dollars.
Smith says only a portion of the road will be done this year at a cost of around 200 thousand dollars instead.
The draft budget goes before council again at the Committee of the Whole meeting on March 23, and final approval will be given in April.