Some adjustments were made to the City of Pembroke’s draft budget for 2026 at this week’s council meeting.
The meeting, which took place on Tuesday, December 16th at City Hall, saw councilors approve a series of amendments to the budget after a pair of public meetings were held earlier this month.
Most of the amendments were included in the agenda for the meeting.
Those include increases to the amount set aside next year for the Strategic Partnership Grant program, the annual transfer to reserves for parks and facilities, and the Ottawa Valley Waste Recovery Centre’s collection rate.
However, during the meeting, Mayor Ron Gervais argued for the overall levy increase to be lowered from 7.89 per cent to 6.99 per cent.
Staff members clarified that the change would save taxpayers roughly 31 dollars next year. To facilitate the lower tax rate increase, money would be pulled from the city’s levy stabilization reserve.
Mayor Gervais argued that residents of Pembroke are struggling through economic hardships right now due to a variety of factors, including rising costs of items like groceries, and claimed the reserve exists for the purpose of ensuring the city can operate smoothly without straining residents’ finances too heavily.
Deputy Mayor Brian Abdallah and councilors Ed Jacyno, Ian Kuehl and Andrew Plummer voted in favor of Gervais’ proposed change, while councilors Patricia Lafreniere and Troy Purcell were against it.
Following Gervais’ proposal being approved, council also voted in favor of the other budget amendments.
(Written by Steve Berard)