Ward 4 Councillor David Merrithew points out you can see what the future holds by taking a look at the number of building permits being issued and what sort of revenue that's generating.
There was a substantial drop in building permit revenue from what was projected and Merrithew says that's not what you want to see happening because it's a good indication of a lack of growth taking place.
The deficit, itself, amounts to about one-quarter of one per cent of the total budget and Merrithew claim that means it's almost balanced.
The city budget this year is expected to record a surplus of 847 thousand dollars even though revenue from permits and parking is expected to be down.
Saint John Water had a surplus last year of half a million dollars.
