Aylmer budget comes in at 2.15% levy increase

Aylmer councillors on Wednesday, March 16 at their fourth and final Finance Committee meeting to work on the 2016 budget used $125,000 of a reserve made up of past year-end surpluses to reduce the amount of taxes that will be levied for the year.

The councillors managed to reduce a $270,811 or 5.41 percent tax levy increase at the beginning of the meeting to a $107,818 or 2.15 percent increase by the time they were done.

They also decided to transfer another $200,000 of the same reserve, called the general fund surplus/deficit or the “tax rate stabilization” reserve, to the municipal building reserve and specifically earmarked the money for a new library.

The committee approved the budget which will now go to regular council for consideration at the Monday, April 4 meeting.

The next step in Aylmer’s annual budget process is for councillors to set a public meeting before granting final approval.

The public meeting, which still has to be officially set by councillors, is tentatively scheduled by town staff for Monday, April 18.