By Andrew de Souza

UPDATE: Budget talks delayed

Jan 14, 2011 | 9:37 AM

The public portions of the city's 2011 budget deliberations will be delayed until a later date.

Councillors came to council chambers on Friday morning intent on postponing the operating budget, but still deliberating on the city’s capital budget.

However early on in deliberations, councillors suggested both parts of the budget be postponed indefinitely until councillors had enough information and enough time to examine documents.

After councillors made the decision, they went into in camera talks to discuss legal matter.

That portion ended up lasting into the afternoon and it was announced the public portin would not continue as originally planned.

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City Manager Robert Cotterill said it would be scheduled for an undetermined future date.

Debate over delay

It was important to delay the deliberations for the public’s sake, especially since the city was facing the prospect of significant tax increases, said Councillor Greg Dionne

“I don’t think the tax payers are going to be upset with us by doing the right thing and delaying the budget, so we do it right,” said Dionne.

“They are not happy today with what we’ve done and we have to correct that.”

Councillor Lee Atkinson said the date should be closer to budget deadlines of earlier years and suggested for sometime in March.

“That’ll give us opportunity for not only administration to adequately to adjust but it will also give adequate opportunity for council members to participate and give direction to administration as to what we’d like to see,” he said.

Atkinson added it would give more time for external agencies to provide accurate financial statements before they budget requests could be approved.

The postponement wasn’t initially accepted.

Councillor Ted Zurakowski said it was unreasonable to postpone a date that everyone on council and in city administration had already planned for.

“To plan for this day and to come here this morning and say well let’s postpone for some day in the future is unfair and it won’t guarantee that everyone will be here in the future,” he said.

Eventually city councillors voted to postpone the budget deliberations.

Since all department heads were in attendance it was suggested to go into a strategic planning sessions but it was decided that it was best if any debate was held in public.

paNOW will provide details on future meetings as the become available.

adesouza@panow.com

For more:

City council to consider postponing deliberations