The Reeves of Piney and Stuartburn are breathing a big sigh of relief after an announcement last week by the province. The Manitoba Government announced that funding to maintain main market roads would become part of their annual operating grants instead of having to be negotiated every few years. For Piney, this means $310,000 per year and for Stuartburn $230,000.

Piney Reeve Wayne Anderson says they were among a dozen Manitoba municipalities that feared losing the funding after a five-year agreement lapsed this spring.

"We recognized early on that a loss of that funding which originated, by the way, from the province turning over roads to the municipalities to maintain years back, and in place of us doing the roads they would give us this annual operating funds, and we were worried that was going to disappear and that it would be on the backs of our taxpayers to fund all these roads. The main market roads run from one town to another town and a lot of times they are gravel roads, but they are very necessary to keep our municipality running. A hit of $310,000 on us out here would have been an increase of 40% on our mill rate."

Anderson adds that is why they are so relieved to be getting the money on a permanent basis, going forward.

Stuartburn Reeve Jim Swidersky is equally pleased.

"It takes away the uncertainty of whether we're going to get annual funding or not. Now we've got guaranteed funding every year. By us receiving that funding, it ensures that we can keep our local mill rates lower. Also with the announcement, the money is to go toward road maintenance. But if a municipality decides, in its wisdom, that they want to appropriate that money for something local that's near and dear to them, they can do it. So it's much more flexible than what it was."

The RM of Reynolds is also part of the agreement and will receive $170,000 per year under the program.