Lynn Lau
Northern News Services

Paulatuuq (Jan 14/02) - The hamlet rang in 2002 with a series of budget cuts at the first council meeting Jan. 3. The cuts include temporary layoffs for two hamlet employees and reduced hours for everyone else until the next fiscal year begins April 1.

Mayor Keith Dodge says the cuts are necessary to make up for losses after a particularly bad blizzard season and the purchase of a new tractor last summer.

The territorial government allotted $340,000 for a new tractor about five years ago, but Dodge says when the funding finally came through last year, the price of the tractor had gone up.

The tractor ended up costing $535,000, plus another $17,000 for barging, and the hamlet was left to pick up the $212,000 difference. Despite the cost, "we definitely needed it," says Dodge. "We didn't think we'd get through this year with the old one. That tractor was pretty much on its last legs."

The hamlet uses its tractor to move snow, keeping essential services like the roads and airstrip open during blizzards.

Dodge says the hamlet realized by October or November that cutbacks would be necessary to make it through the fiscal year to March 31 without running a deficit.

In addition to the two temporary layoffs, all 21 remaining hamlet employees are taking one day off a week for the next two months, and all committee and council members are forfeiting their honoraria for attending meetings.

Hamlet meetings will be reduced from twice a month to once a month, and all committees will have one big meeting a month, instead of several smaller ones. Staff will have to clean up around the office to make up for the janitor being cut, and volunteers are being asked to help cover for the recreation coordinator. "It's a very co-operative thing," says Dodge. "We've talked to all the councillors and everyone wants to do their share to get us through this crisis."

Despite the rollbacks, none of the hamlet's services should be affected.