BARRHEAD - The Town of Barrhead will be able to continue paying its bills into the New Year despite having yet to approve the final 2025 operating and capital budgets.
That is because, at their Dec. 10 meeting, councillors approved an interim budget based on revenues of $1.7 million and funding from reserves of $2.3 million with estimated expenditures of $4 million for general operations and debenture and school requisition payments. No capital expenditures will be allowed without formal approval from council.
Corporate services director Jennifer Mantay said the municipality needed to pass an interim operating budget before Jan. 1, 2025, for practical reasons and to meet a provincial requirement under the Municipal Government Act (MGA).
"The final budget will be presented in January," she said. "This is just to get us over the hump until it is approved."
Coun. Rod Klumph asked if the interim budget was the zero per cent document council had discussed.
She replied no, adding the interim budget. She reiterated that the interim budget is exactly that: a short-term budget measure to allow the municipality to meet its obligations until council approves the final budget, which is expected to happen sometime in January.
Mantay added that council had another budget deliberation session scheduled for Dec. 6.
It is worth noting that while the municipality will set the final 2025 budget with a tentative mill rate sometime in January, it won't likely be able to finalize the mill rate until the spring, as the municipality often does not have the assessment values from the province they need to finalize the rate.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
