First Aylmer budget session starts with 8.68% increase

Aylmer Councillor Pete Barbour asked the key question during the first town budget session of 2016 on Monday afternoon, Feb. 22.

After Finance Director Lisa Pelton gave an overview of how the draft 2016 budget documents were set up to help the finance committee members (all of council) understand the numbers, Cr. Barbour asked her what kind of increase was being contemplated if all proposed projects and spending were approved.

After hesitating, Ms. Pelton said she had a “guess.”

If none of the accumulated surplus of $690,813.54 was used, and using the 2015 East Elgin Community Complex and Aylmer Police budgets in her numbers (the budgets for those departments for 2016 are still being worked on), she said the draft 2016 budget for Aylmer would see an 8.68-percent tax levy increase.

Ms. Pelton added if councillors found $215,912 in savings, or that much was used of the surplus, it would result in a zero-percent tax increase.