What I Hope We’ve Learned from This Year’s Budget Process
Well, the budget is now done for another year, after the budget bylaw was passed at a special council meeting last Monday. That it passed wasn't a surprise for anyone involved, despite its defeat through a tie vote at an executive meeting two weeks earlier – we all know that votes at executive aren't the final word, and some council members are known for changing their minds when things come to council, for whatever reason.
But now that the process is over for another year, I hope that all involved, both council and administration, have learned from the experience, and will try to do better next year (or at least, those who are still around after this fall's election). I have a few specific suggestions where we could build on some of the things that happened, both good and bad, in this year's process.
First, having more information helps in making decisions. The financial information that we were given by administration before the budget process even started was quite enlightening, and was more detail than has been provided in the past few years. Of course, once that information is available, it should be used more than it was. I was disappointed that, even though we were given numbers related to the amount that needed to be in the budget to maintain roads, for example, the numbers in the final budget didn't seem to take that into account.
Second, don't make changes at the last minute, without a map showing how the change being proposed will affect the rest of the budget. The way that numbers were being juggled over the last month reminded me of a shell game, as we pulled money from various projects or unspecified maintenance activities, to satisfy the wants of a few special interest groups and make up for unexpected shortfalls. If we decide to make those changes, fine, but we should be able to say exactly what is being sacrificed, and why we feel that other uses, heard from late in the process, should take priority over previously identified needs.