VIDEO: Mayor 'looking for every dollar we can' as budget looms

It's that time of year again in Sault Ste. Marie: budget deliberations.

At their latest meeting, city councillors were presented with the starting point for 2024 discussions: a potential $216-million budget — $13.5-million higher than this year. If approved, it would mean a 7.2 per cent levy increase.

Budget deliberations are set for Dec. 11 and 12, and tonight at 6 p.m. Mayor Matthew Shoemaker is hosting a pre-budget town hall at the Bay Street Active Living Centre.

“This will be, like last year, a difficult budget year," the mayor said during a recent interview in our SooToday studio. “The work for us at council is to ensure that the final number comes in at as reasonable a rate as we can have. And my hope has always been that we find all the savings that we can in the budget. That is what I will do this year as I have in years past.”

Shoemaker pointed out that during his previous terms on city council, he proposed costs savings of more than $2-million. 

“I will keep looking for every dollar we can," he said. "That is something that is our responsibility as councillors to be conscious of: to ensure that we are not asking our residents to pay more than what they’re able to, recognizing that the cost of everything is going up.”

You can watch the mayor’s full interview HERE.