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Bayham budget finalized

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The 2013 Municipality of Bayham budget was finalized during the fifth and final budget meeting, held in Straffordville on Tuesday, March 5.

“The levy impact after growth is 0.78 percent - so overall there’s a .78 per cent increase on the current total for rate payers,” said Bayham administrator Kyle Kruger. “The end result is for the residential ratepayers, on average they’re going to see a minor decrease of 0.31 per cent or $3.19 on average household.”

There was an approximate $44,000 projected surplus left over from 2012, noted Kruger.

“That’s to be finalized, through the audit, but the forecast is for a small surplus from 2012.”

Further discussion during the council meeting regarding the use of the 2012 surplus included allocating some of it to costs of the upcoming by-election on March 25.

Bayham councillor Tom Southwick supported that move.

“Normally we would move that surplus money to a reserve somewhere or something, which could very well have been the election reserve,” said Southwick. “It’s being used for that, but not the full cost because there was $1,000 raised by a group of citizens, with the campaign pennies for democracy, to put towards the by-election.

“The by-election is budgeted to be and expected to be $12,000 – and $1,000 of that was raised by the group of citizens.”

In addition, other items discussed during the final budget meeting included Fire Hall cleaning, water tanker shuttle service to the Eden area, tax arrears, investments and road upgrades.

Noting the surplus situation in the municipality, Southwick said the 2013 budget will have a positive impact for the residents of Bayham.

“We were presented with a very good budget from staff to start off with. Obviously staff had managed the individual portfolios all year long to help create a surplus situation.”

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