Open house held to discuss 2026 budget with the public

A budget open house was held last Saturday morning in the lobby of the Libro Centre in Amherstburg. Town council members and staff were on hand to answer questions and concerns from members of the public that attended the open house. Budget deliberations get underway Dec. 8 and run, if necessary, through Dec. 10.

The public had a chance to discuss the 2026 operating and capital budgets at an open house last weekend in Amherstburg.

The open house was held Saturday morning in the lobby at the Libro Centre with the turnout appearing to be smaller than in past years. 

Those who did come out wanted to speak about such things as traffic, reserves, spending or to just learn more about what went into preparing the 2026 draft documents and how it would impact them and their families.

The draft budget calls for a 2.86 per cent tax increase, or $85.13 on a home assessed at $250,000. That figure will likely be adjusted during budget deliberations next month.

Tino Riccio said he wanted more information on the budget and was hoping it would be in a public meeting format with a presentation.

“I was hoping it was a meeting where people could ask questions,” said Riccio. 

Riccio said he enjoyed the public open house but believed he could have learned more through a meeting format. 

“I don’t think it was as informative as a meeting. That’s just my opinion,” said Riccio.

A specific project Riccio was interested in was reconstructing Fryer St. between Simcoe St. and Lowes Side Road. He believed money should be set aside for the project.

Rob Trought was interested in seeing what was happening with the budget and how the town’s money is being spent.

“I’m an interested citizen who wants to see what is going on,” said Trought. “I’m trying to educate myself on where the money is going.”

Trought was interested in professional management of reserves as he said other municipalities do versus doing it in-house and wondered if there are other options in relation to reserve management. He also questioned the lower tax rate increase, wondering if it was an “election budget” since the municipal election is in October 2026.

Trought added he “hit a few walls” while trying to get information but liked civic engagement overall. He said he comes to many open houses and meetings to see what is happening.

“It’s good to see residents are interested otherwise we’d be having our town hall at the old school,” he said. 

There are things the town is doing well, Trought added, “but there’s always room for improvement.”

Frank Cerasa believed the town doesn’t have a revenue problem, but spending is another story. He believed there are developers not moving ahead on projects in Amherstburg as they take a close look at the financial situation.

“There’s a picture that not enough people are seeing,” he said. “I don’t know why.”

Mayor Michael Prue said it was an information gathering day for him.

“I’m here to hear what people have to say,” he said.

Prue said he wrote down several ideas and will bring them up during budget deliberations. There are items, such as contractual obligations, the town has to take care of but other items could be removed. He said it takes a $300,000 reduction to lower the budget one per cent.

“There are certain things we don’t have to do,” he said. “Tell me what you want cut.”

Staff was on hand to answer questions and Prue believed the “place would be packed” if the proposed tax increase were higher.

A public survey is available on the town’s “Talk the Burg” website through Nov. 30. 

Town council's budget deliberations will be Dec. 8 from 6-10 p.m., Dec 9 from 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. and, if necessary, Dec. 10 from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Open house held to discuss 2026 budget with the public

By Ron Giofu