2016 saw mixed results in the Municipality of Morris, with progress being made in some areas but planning affected by issues throughout the calendar year.

Reeve Ralph Groening says the Lowe Farm lagoon project was completed this fall after approximately 15 years of development. The $1.2 million dollar project saw approximately $800,000 of combined funding recieved from the federal and provincial governments, with the remaining money locally sourced.

Additionally, the Riverside bridge project will begin this spring. The road was limited to one lane throughout most of 2016, but the Municipality has recieved a provincial grant and has hired a contractor to complete repairs.

2016 was a good year economically for the Municipality. Groening says the RM had continued positive economic activity, with "an interesting mix of urban and rural, a strong farm community, and a great manufacturing sector."  A $1 million dollar industrial development was made towards the Lowe Farm Co-op, and the Rosenort Industrial Park also saw further development.

Infrastructure needs plagued the Municipality throughout 2016, with wet conditions affecting residents.

Groening says the RM has "an aggressive drain maintenance program," adding the RM "knows our farmers pay a lot of tax. We know their land has increased in value and in some ways they are paying a disproportionate amount of tax, especially in education, so we do our very best to maintain our drains and their drains."

Groening thinks the gravel program will probably need to be expanded for 2017, as fall rains led to deteriorating conditions.

Overall, he says that moving forward, the RM hopes to work in the most efficient way possible to serve its residents.