Town hosting Speed Chat: Budget Edition event on September 14

The event will take place on Saturday, September 14, 2024, at the St. Marys Farmers’ Market, located at the north end of Milt Dunnell Field (1 Veterans’ Circle). This informal, drop-in event will run from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. and is open to all residents and ratepayers.  

The idea is to give residents a chance to ask questions and make comments in a casual environment about topics within the community, not only specific to the budget, but important topics like asset management, housing, property taxes, roads, etc. The event, resembling business speed networking sessions, will give participants the chance to engage in one-on-one interactions with each member of Council for three to four minutes. A bell will signal when it is time to switch to the next member to provide everyone access. 

Several members of Council are planning to attend, including Mayor Al Strathdee. Town staff will also be available to address any topics or concerns that residents may wish to discuss. 

Attendees can enjoy free coffee, courtesy of the Town. 

“We invite all residents to come down, check out the vendors, and chat about the budget,” said Strathdee. “This is a great opportunity to discuss community topics with your councillors and support the St. Marys Farmers’ Market.” 

In previous years, the Town hosted successful public engagement events such as Coffee with Council to encourage ratepayers to weigh in on the Town’s budget. This year’s Speed Chat: Budget Edition event introduces a new approach to actively involve residents and aims to gather feedback earlier in the process to ensure the 2025 budget reflects the wants and needs of ratepayers. 

This event is just one of several opportunities for the public to provide input on the budget. Another public engagement event will be held in early October. Council will meet to discuss the budget on Tuesday, October 15 and Tuesday, November 19 at 9:00 a.m. Residents can attend the meetings, submit questions in advance, or view the meetings on the Town’s YouTube channel.  

Additional information about the budget is available at www.townofstmarys.com/budget. Questions can be directed to André Morin, Director of Corporate Services/Treasurer at 519-284-2340, ext. 217 or amorin@town.stmarys.on.ca. 

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For media inquiries: 

Stacey Frayne, Marketing and Communications Specialist 
519-284-2340 ext. 218 | sfrayne@town.stmarys.on.ca