Municipality of Rhineland officials have started to examine the impact Manitoba's new Class 1 driver training rules will have on future budgets. 

According to Reeve Don Wiebe, the mandatory entry-level requirements pose a significant added expense that wasn't previously anticipated.

"We simply want to make sure that we can do this in a way that makes sense, but doesn't add undue pressure on our budget," he said. 

A core of the municipality's public works crew currently have a Class 1 license, however Wiebe explains as people retire or move on, new staff will have to be trained at a cost between $6,000 and $8,000. This has officials taking a hard look at future options in spreading out the expense over time, as well as what tasks can crew members complete with a Class 3 license. 

"All the while making sure that we have enough people with Class 1 in our municipality that can operate machinery appropriately," added Wiebe.

Previously, a person could obtain a Class 1 license by successfully completing a knowledge-based written test and a practical road test with no prior training.  Under the new regulations implemented this past September, the license now comes with a mandatory entry-level requirement of 121.5 hours of training.