Aylmer budget lands at 0.74% levy increase

After an almost three and a half hour final session on Thursday, March 12, members of the Aylmer Finance Committee found savings in the 2015 budget to reduce the over six-percent levy increase starting point to 0.74-percent.

The committee, made up of all members of council, went through the budget line by line and removed a number of items including the over $200,000 proposed renovations to the interior of the Aylmer Police station.

Another notable reduction was a staff recommended $100,000 to come from taxation to make up for money not spent in 2014 for the asset management reserve.

The committee also decided to not spend upwards of $930,000 on a new or demonstrator aerial platform truck for the fire department and instead directed Fire Chief Sam Taylor to look for a used aerial truck.

A subcommittee of the Aylmer Police Services Board still had to meet to discuss finding $10,000 or more in savings in the 2015 police budget as directed by Aylmer councillors and the East Elgin Community Complex budget was still to be decided.