Options may allow council to cut $1.6 million from budget

THUNDER BAY -- City council has options to cut nearly $1.6 million from this year's budget.

The largest would see pushing a $400,000 bus and $650,000 fire truck to next year's budget.

A new Arthur Street sidewalk near Valhalla Inn road could save $165,000 while $150,000 less could be spent on residential paving.

Options also include cutting a one-time $50,000 ask from the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, asking BIA's to pay $5,000 for Christmas lights and saving $4,800 stopping the Muskeg Express at Centennial Park and making it a static display instead.

Shifting programming to five days a week at Chippewa and Trowbridge could save around $25,000 to $30,000 a year.

All of the cuts would come with consequences though. According to the options package, reducing road resurfacing, which is already only seeing $602,000 out of the recommended spending this year, would see the infrastructure gap widen.