Mayor Justin Towndale did not use his Strong Mayor Powers to veto council’s amendment passed at the January 7 special budget meeting, allowing the finalized budget to come into effect. The funding was sourced by reducing proposed grants to Your Arts Council and Diversity Cornwall by $10,000 each, alongside a $10,000 property tax contribution. Councillor Sarah Good expressed concern about the lack of a formal process for ad hoc funding requests. “We do not currently have a clear policy in place for funding requests outside of the Municipal Grants program,” said Good. All budget documents and Strong Mayor directives are publicly available on the City’s website.