Veto on Budget Amendments

Balancing priorities, preparing for the future while keeping the taxpayers' burden as low as possible is what Minden Hills Mayor Bob Carter is trying to do with the 2026 budget process. That's why he chose to use his newly granted Strong Mayors' powers to veto eight amendments already passed by council during the budget deliberations.When Mayor presented the proposed budget to council on Dec. 15, the tax increase for residents was 3 point nine five per cent. Councilors then passed 27 amendments to this year's budget to include charges that were unknown or unavailable at the time of the original budget. Others were to correct errors or omissions.Carter spoke with CanoeFM to explain what amendments he vetoed and the rationale behind them. The majority of these involved adding back items that appeared in the first draft of the budget but had been voted out by councilors. Under the new Strong Mayors legislation, the budget process has much stricter timelines.