Town Invites Residents and Businesses to Budget Open House

Budget open house - colour - SM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 16, 2017

Pelham, ON – If you’re a resident or business in Pelham and have suggestions on how your money should be used to improve the Town in 2018, you are encouraged to make your voice heard at this year’s Budget Open House on October 23, at 6:30 p.m. at Pelham Town Hall.

Preparing for the 2018 capital budget, the Town of Pelham is again offering this effective and innovative forum to continue engagement amongst Pelham residents and hear more about what they would like to see in 2018.

Beginning in 2007, the Open House is an annual, open invitation for residents to come and share what they need and/or want in the Town; many successful ideas in the past have come from this session.

“In previous years, folks have requested a dog park, a skate park, sidewalks along a number of roads, crosswalks, sport field improvements, sidewalk snow clearing on every sidewalk in Town, partnerships on service club signs, and a new community centre,” said Mayor Dave Augustyn. “Town Council discussed each of these requests, and most have been approved or are scheduled in future budgets – that’s why we’re undertaking this consultation process again.”

Approval of the capital budget is sought before the budget year begins, allowing large capital projects to be tendered earlier than other cities or towns; this has worked effectively in previous years. New this year will be early recommendation of the Operating and Waste and Wastewater budgets. By doing so, they can be approved prior to the start of the budget year.

Residents unable to attend the Oct. 23 open house are encouraged to provide written input via email or regular post. A special email address has been created for this effort and all correspondence can be sent to: ourbudget@pelham.ca. Subsequently, if email is not an option, you can mail in your comments and ideas to 20 Pelham Town Square, P.O. Box 400, Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0, c/o Town Clerk.

This is just the start of the 2018 budget discussions:

  • Pre-Budget Consultation – beginning October 23, 2017;
  • Draft Capital, Operating, Water & Waste Water Budgets available to the public – December 1;
  • Draft Capital, Operating, Water & Waste Water Budgets presented to Committee of the Whole – December 4;
  • Council consider approving Capital, Operating, Water & Waste Water Budgets – December 18;

 

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For more information, please contact:
Marc MacDonald
PR & Marketing Specialist
905-892-2607 x309
mmacdonald@pelham.ca