Duane Hicks
With town council and administration poised to dig into the 2010 budget later this month, Mayor Roy Avis is confident they will find a way to minimize the impact on taxpayers.
“I think the budget’s going to go quite smoothly this year. I see us not having a major increase,” he remarked Monday.
“I’d like to see us stay as close to zero as possible but I know that’s always the case,” the mayor admitted, adding the cost of living increase in the past year was 1.8 percent and if the levy increase was kept in that range, he’d like to see it happen.
“I think we will be looking at all services very closely, we’ll be scrutinizing all services, and we will find where we can cut if we can cut because we want to try and maintain the same level of service and try to do it at a better price,” he stressed.
At its Dec. 21 meeting, council received the preliminary 2010 operating and capital budget, which indicated an almost $410,000 shortfall as well as about $10 million in capital spending.
At that time, council also approved a two percent increase for the majority of user fees in 2010.
Some new considerations in the 2010 budget so far range from a $140,000 increase in the OPP budget to a proposal from the Economic Development Advisory Committee to establish a new Economic Development Commission, which would replace the EDAC and have a little more power—and a dedicated budget—to work on economic development projects.
The first special committee of the whole meeting on the budget is set for Jan. 18. Budget meetings will continue to be held every two weeks until March 22, at which time it is hoped the budget will be ready for ratification.
A public meeting then will be held April 12, with the anticipated passage of the budget April 26.
One major project on the schedule this year is the completion of the so-called “biomass road” project. This will involve the reconstruction of the roads, as well as sewer and water infrastructure, on Portage Avenue from First Street to Third Street and Fifth Street to Sixth Street.
“We might be slightly interrupting travel under the subway once we start into doing the sewer and water at either end,” the mayor said.
“It will have to be possibly shut down for a couple days while we tie in the sewer and water lines, but we don’t expect it to be long interruptions.”
Last summer, Nelson Street from Portage Avenue to Victoria Avenue, Victoria Avenue from Nelson Street to Front Street, and Portage Avenue from Nelson to First Street was overhauled.
Meanwhile, this spring or early summer is expected to see completion of the new Fort Frances Public Library and Technology Centre, which Mayor Avis said will be a definite asset to the community once opened.
“The library is on track,” he noted. “I just had a conversation with the library board chair, Joyce Cunningham, and it’s right on track.”
The new library was a major source of controversy last year, with many people lobbying for it but some members of council reluctant to spend millions of dollars on the project.
It finally got the go-ahead last June after a major stimulus funding influx from senior levels of government.
“I have always thought the library would be a benefit to the community but the town could not afford the size of the facility required to house the library and the technology centre,” Mayor Avis said.
“It was beyond our reach financially unless we took on a tremendous amount of long-term debt,” he argued.
“And by receiving that money, we were able to do that project.
“It’s coming in right on budget is my understanding,” the mayor added. “It will be a real asset to the community.
“We’re more interested, now that it’s moving forward, in making sure it’s operated properly and things like that take place.”
Another venture for the town will be as the new owners of Sunny Cove Camp, which council voted unanimously to purchase from the Fort Frances Kiwanis Club back in October.
The camp will be operated by the town’s Community Services executive committee while the new Sunny Cove Camp committee, which consists of town councillors, Kiwanians, and citizens, will provide input into the operation.
Mayor Avis said the town also is hopeful for stimulus funding from senior levels of government.
“If we were to get another influx of stimulus money, too, we do have shovel-ready projects,” he remarked.
Projects the mayor would like to see done, but which will depend on the availability of government funding, include the reconstruction of Crowe Avenue from Front Street to Scott Street, fixing Fifth Street (which is in dire need of repairs), and the reconstruction of Scott Street from just east of Reid Avenue to Colonization Road East.
As for highlights of 2009, Mayor Avis said he was pleased to see the Portage Avenue underpass finally completed after three summers of construction.
Pumphouse upgrades still have to be done this year, but that will not affect subway traffic, he noted.
Another highlight was Phase II of the Heritage Tourism Project, which included the relocation and refurbishing of the lookout tower and Hallett, as well as the additional landscaping and new street signs.
And come spring, the project also will include banners and interpretive panels detailing aspects of local history—just in time for both residents and tourists to enjoy.
“It looks very, very good and will be a real asset,” enthused Mayor Avis. “There’s a lot of people I have talked about it and they’re happy with it.”
