BOWDEN - The Town of Bowden is working on its budget, and the goal is no increase in taxes or sewer and water rates, chief administrative officer James Mason says.
If that does indeed happen, it will join Innisfail, Penhold and Red Deer County, all of which have a goal of no increases in taxes this year.
“We're working our budget right now, based on a zero municipal tax increase – and zero rate increases for water or sewer,” Mason says.
“Now that doesn't allow for what we may have to pass on from the province,” he cautions.
He also notes that doesn't allow for whatever increases might come from school divisions.
“It's looking like we're going to try to have everything finalized in February,” Mason says.
However, he agrees they won't likely know by then how much money they'll be getting from the federal and provincial governments as well as school boards until they table their budgets.
“That's just the nature of the beast,” Mason says. “The thing is, what we end up doing is we end up doing a lot of guessing. But that's what budgets are anyway.
“We've kind of got to guess, ‘well, what's the province going to give us for capital grants?' Well, we'll guess.
“We'll make the budget up and hey, you know what? If they all of a sudden don't come through, there's a lot of planning that might end up being a waste of time, but if we wait until we know, we probably won't have time to do it for another year. We might as well plan now, because we can always modify stuff later if we have to – or council can, anyway.”
"The thing is, what we end up doing is we end up doing a lot of guessing. But that's what budgets are anyway."JAMES MASONCHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERTOWN OF BOWDEN
