Essex budget talks are set to get underway and Mayor Ron McDermott says it's time to start hacking and slashing.
The 2017 draft budget document came to council with a 20% tax increase, but McDermott says it includes a lot of wish lists items and the goal is to get that number to between 1% and 2%.
He says council has got its work cut out.
"Give us time. We're going to work hard," says McDermott. "I'd say 1%, somewhere between 1% and 2%, I think, would be acceptable. It's about $6-million. We've got to get the knife out."
McDermott says this year administration has left a lot of decisions up to council.
"Last couple years they've got it right down. We had one meeting last year or the year before," says McDermott. "This year they're coming back to us and making us do some of the work, but we'll get it done."
Budget talks begin Monday at 4:30pm at Essex Town Hall.