Thamesville residents have had their say on this year's municipal budget.
About a dozen people showed up for a public meeting at the Brunner Centre Tuesday night to discuss the document.
The beginning of the meeting started with a presentation going over the details regarding this year's budget, followed by a Q&A session.
The turn out so far at the first public meeting to talk about the #2017 proposed budget. #Thamesville #ck pic.twitter.com/spHnsQRrgO
— Natalia Vega (@Natalia94V) January 24, 2017
One of the hot topics at the meeting was bridges.
Harry Lawson, who is a member of the Kent Federation of Agriculture, says he, along with other members of the KFA, are pleased with what's being proposed this year.
"The proposals are to fix the bridges that are necessary for farmers to function efficiently and we're quite happy with it," says Lawson. "We understand there's a [possibility of a] slight tax increase but we think it's warranted to get the job done."
Although some may agree with what's being proposed to fix the municipality's infrastructure, there are some concerns regarding a potential tax increase.
"I have concerns that the budget may be changed so that rural property -- agricultural land shifts and takes over the greater burden of the taxation rather than the residents within the municipality," says local resident Dennis Jack.
A definite bonus to this year's budget is the fact that there are no community services that are going to be cut.
"The municipal staff has been very pro-active this year," says Lawson. "I think they've looked out ahead and got their ducks all lined up before it went to the budget and they've avoided a lot of conflict and uncertainty."
There will be other community meeting held in the next couple of days.
To see details on when and where the public meetings will be held click here.
