With less than a week until Windsor council begins its 2022 budget deliberations, one city councillor is focusing on the needs and wants of the community.
Ward 2's Fabio Costante says he's been meeting with residents to gather input on the proposed 1.99% tax increase with the majority lending support to a couple of key items for the west end — funding for the revamp of the Adie Knox Recreation Complex and the reconstruction of a large section of University Ave W.
He says this could be a challenging budget for council.
"Like any budget, there's lots to chew on, lots of items and moving parts that are being considered, how the priorities are managed in light of everything that we're experiencing right now with respect to COVID, with respect to the uncertainty."
Costante says it's going to be an interesting conversation around the table.
"It's an interesting and fun time and there's never a shortage of ideas. There's just a shortage of total funds and so how we prioritize ideas is very important."
He says it's all about trying to strike a balance that suits everyone.
"There's some things in every budget that I've come to learn now, now that this is my fourth, you're happy about some items, some items you're not so happy about and some items you're working actively to try to correct or change in the weeks leading up to budget day."
The city's 2022 budget deliberations get underway on December 13.
Council held the line in 2021 with a 0% tax increase.
— with files from AM800's Rob Hindi