The Town of Huntsville reported a $181,000 deficit in the third quarter of the year during the council meeting on Dec. 10.
Suzanne Diller, Deputy Treasurer, presented a report at the meeting and received council approval for budget deviations to cover the shortfall.
“One of the key items that make up the deficit is the fire administration revenue with Lake of Bays,” said Diller. “As we are all aware, the Lake of Bays agreement is ending in 2026, and staff are still in discussions with Lake of Bays on the amount to be paid for 2025.”
She said the fire administration deviation deficit totals $195,000.
According to the report, capital projects are projected to exceed the 2025 budget by $1.9 million. Approximately $1.66 million of this variance relates to 2024 carry-forward projects, while $1.14 million reflects council-approved changes during the year.
“About $600,000 in projects are expected to be deferred to 2026, and the remaining balance consists of individual project adjustments, resulting in a net decrease of $260,000 in forecasted costs,” reads the report.
Diller said overall, the year started out with a total reserve of 26 million and the town is expected to end around 23 million.
“As staff work through the last quarter of the year-end, they will continue to monitor budgets and seek any savings where possible to bring the actuals closer to budget where possible,” she said.
As a result, council approved the budget deviations and directed staff to report back after the year-end consolidation is completed.
