The Mayor for Ritchot says it appears the municipality ended 2018 with a small surplus.

Chris Ewen explains auditors are currently going over their books. He says it looks like it was a strong year for the municipality and he is excited to be part of that.

(Ritchot Mayor Chris Ewen)According to Ewen, preliminary reports showed a surplus of about $200,000. He suggests it will probably end up being a little less than that.

"It's nice that we know we have a strong administration behind us," says Ewen. "And the council for bringing up great ideas that didn't cost too much money."

Ewen says with all that was accomplished in 2018, it is an excellent feeling to see this affordable progress. He notes surplus dollars will be placed in their reserves.

Meanwhile, the Mayor says they are getting closer to finalizing their 2019 budget. Ewen explains their administration is crunching the numbers and he anticipates the budget will be finalized by council in four to six weeks.

"We're going to see some great projects coming up," he says. "Some new hires for positions."