Neepawa's staff and Council are hard at work on the 2016 budget. Mayor Adrian de Groot says they recently held a pre-budget consultation in the community, to provide information and gather public feedback. He notes it's only the second time they've held a session like this, and says many great questions were brought forward. He says while short, intermediate, and long-term planning was their main discussion, they also had the opportunity to discuss a number of issues. De Groot feels one area in desperate need of improvement in the town is how the local cemetery is managed.

"One of the areas that is kind of out of control, which we need to get better management, is our cemetery. We need to look at that, and explain to people how their taxes are impacted by that single line item."

He says they're still early in the budget process, and are currently working to process the feedback from that meeting. De Groot says when it comes to any changes in the municipal tax levy, it's still to early to say just what may come.

"We have certain fixed costs, so those you have to be taken into consideration. We're also looking at some of the debentures we have, which is another fixed costs. We're taking a look at our revenues and looking for opportunity to increase them, and we're actively pursuing those What we've asked administration to do is look at various scenarios, such as looking at holding the line."

One item that's still being discussed by Council and administration is the Yellowhead Centre and how it will be operated in the future. De Groot says they're currently looking at changing the operation model, noting it's currently run by an independent organization. He says arenas are typically a municipal responsibility, and that's a change that's being discussed as they work on the budget.