If you missed out on sharing your input on Chatham-Kent's proposed budget, there's still some time to have your concerns heard by municipal council.
Budget Chair Brock McGregor said while they had some strong turnout at last week's open house sessions, there are still more opportunities for local residents to have their say in the process.
"Individuals can still get in touch with the budget committee -- and those are all the members of council -- via email or give us a call on the phone," said McGregor. "You can also contact the municipality and sign up to do a deputation during budget deliberations."
The deputations give local residents a chance to share a presentation of up to five minutes at a budget deliberation meeting. Signups will be available at the door or you can contact ckfps@chatham-kent.ca in advance if you have a presentation. You can also check the schedule posted on the 2019 budget website for updates on the timing of when deputations will be taking place.
The budget deliberations themselves are scheduled to take place on January 30, 31 and February 5 (Feb. 6 and 7 if needed), from 6-10 p.m. in council chambers at the Civic Centre in Chatham.
McGregor said some of the hot-button issues they've heard so far from residents include concerns about arenas and drug use in the community. He said even though some of the concerns that were raised were not budget-specific, it was good to hear that input as well.
This year also marked the first time the municipality hosted a Facebook Live event where residents could connect with local municipal officials via a live videostream to have their concerns and questions addressed without leaving the comfort of their own home.
"We try to [connect with residents] as many ways as we can and this was obviously a newer way to do that and it had some great engagement... and likely reached some individuals who otherwise we may not have heard from throughout that budget process," said McGregor. "We're going to try to focus on doing more things like that [Facebook Live event] outside of the budget process as well."
The proposed budget put forward by municipal staff to Chatham-Kent council included a tax increase between 1.70 and 2.07 per cent for 2019.