Town of Bonnyville Budget Open House on Tuesday: “We still have work to do.”

As costs escalate, the Town is moving closer to passing the interim budget before the year is out. 

Bonnyville residents will get a first hand chance to engage in the financial future of the Town.

The Budget 2025 Open House is slated for Tuesday evening, with a presentation of what the Town’s operating and capital budgets will look like.

Council reviewed the second draft of the Budget last Tuesday, with much finessing left to do to balance.

With the changes made from the first to the second draft, a pure balance through a tax increase would have to be 23.47 per cent. Seeing the numbers displayed, reductions to what community organizations have asked for, plus using reserve money, could be methods as well to balance the budget.

“We’re getting a more clear picture of the draft. The operating draft, they were able to bring it down initially, was that $2.5 [million] and they brought it down to $1.9 [million] so we’re starting to dwindle the deficit down, and same as with the capital costs as well,” said Mayor Elisa Brosseau on The Morning After. 

“But we’d still be looking at a significant tax increase if the budget were to go ahead the way it is now. We still have some work to do.”

WATCH: The Morning After with Elisa Brosseau

Spending add-ons

One of the biggest changes in this draft, is the inclusion of major work to the southeast lift station.

A total of $1.4 million is allocated to that piece of Town infrastructure now for 2025, after an engineering firm found more needed repairs.

The Town is also looking at personnel they’ve discussed in the past.

Included in the second draft is funding to hire a second Community Peace Officer, to support CPO Wanda Tomm.

Costs that are still be investigating, is purchasing land for a snow dump area, downtown revitalization, Jessie Lake trail repairs, and sports tourism strategy incentives.

Plans that look to be deferred, are the library expansion, the southeast sanitary force main upgrade, and 50th Avenue functional planning study.

“You got to start talking about the nice to haves and the needs, right? What actually needs to be done, and what’s nice to have? Those are the hard conversations. It’s nice to have all this new infrastructure and these new buildings,” said Brosseau. 

“But what are some of those things that if we don’t take care of it now, what’s to say in a couple years that if we don’t fix up the lift station that things can get a lot worse. Than we’re in big trouble.” 

With that said, Brosseau added a new pool remains a top priority for the Town, as they wait for grant funding.