The M.D. of Lesser Slave River financial people have been working away already on a plan for preparing the 2026 budget, and had a proposed itinerary for the next couple of months for council to consider at its Aug. 28 meeting.

It’s very early in the process, but council was asked it has any appetite for a tax increase.

“No!” said Councillor Darren Fulmore.

Fulmore however won’t be around to vote on it, if rumours of his decision not to run again are accurate.

“If we don’t have to, no,” was Reeve Murray Kerik’s comment. However, he added: “Eventually we’re going to have to.”

Councillor Lana McCann said the possible need for a tax increase would depend more on the capital than the operational budget.

The budget process will start with a review of the spending to date for each department, council heard. This will result in a rough draft budget for council to review, on Sept. 24. At that same meeting an update on capital projects will be presented, including which ones are expected to carry over into 2026.

After the Oct. 20 election, the new council will be introduced to the draft budget and asked for input. Strategic planning sessions will follow, allowing for refinement of the operational and capital spending priorities for the new year.

Councillor Fulmore suggested staffing levels as something to be considered. For example, he said, the M.D. has been four years without a Director of Field Services, and there seems to be no intention of hiring one. If that’s the case, let’s remove the position from the organizational chart, he said.

Councillor Norm Seatter observed that the number of seasonal staff seems to be increasing “significantly.” That might be worth taking a look at, he said.