Residents of Morden can expect the city to prioritize capital projects they know will get people back to work.

The city gave a presentation last week regarding its 2020 budget, with total revenue and expenditures of $15,372,409.24. Mayor Brandon Burley says they couldn't justify any more cuts.

"We're in a fairly serious position, and we have to start looking at asset management, and we're ensuring we're not bottle-necking down the road. We have very significant projects, and we have to be financially prepared for it. I think this [budget] really lays the foundation."

Major projects this fiscal year include:

· Various Road Works;

· Airport Runway Repairs;

· Wastewater Treatment Plant;

· Water Treatment Plant Upgrades, including Lime Slaker;

· Street Lighting;

· AEC Compressor Room;

· Water Meter Replacement;

· Fibre Optic Infrastructure (to be paid from reserves);

Total Projects: $5,242,400

"In the earlier iterations of the budget, we had focused more heavily on ensuring the survival of our non-profits. We think they're essential to our identity,” says Burley. “With assurances from the provincial government, there would be funding as part of the COVID response; we felt confident we could be business as usual for non-profits, and we do have funds allocated to bridge the gap if we need to."

2020 was a re-assessment year. That means that the assessed values of all properties were updated to April 1, 2018 market values. Property values were last updated in 2018 and were based on April 1, 2016, market values. Council decreased the mill rate by 5.2%. However, with the assessment increasing, both residential and commercial properties will see a 2.68-3.53% increase in property taxes