And the Budget Process Gets Even More Confusing (if possible)
At last week's Executive Meeting, a bylaw setting the mill rate for this year's tax rate was put forward. This is the bylaw that gives council the authority to tax property, the largest by far funding source for city activities. The vote on the bylaw was tied, as one councillor was absent, and a tie vote is considered to be a defeated vote.
The proposed tax rate increase would still the same one that the mayor floated by council members in an email, asking if we could live with it – 3.96%. I've yet to see any justification beyond that for the number, or any explanation of the difference between that number and the 5.5% increase that we were told was the minimum required to maintain the status quo, let alone catch up on past neglect.
Now, this process may be confusing to those who are aware that the budget was presented at a council meeting in February, as a recommendation from the budget committee (which consists of all council members),and was voted on as a motion of council, although two members of council were missing. The assumption would be that, at the next council meeting, which wasn't until mid-March, the budget would be given the necessary third reading, and passed. But that didn't happen; in fact, nothing about the still unfinished budget process was mentioned over the last six weeks.
That's because, once again, process has been changed, for no apparent reason. In the past, the budget has been presented, along with the bylaw (that's the part that sets the actual mill rate, and makes it legal). This time, there was no mill rate bylaw attached to the budget (or explanation for its absence). I think that the expectation of most members of council was that, as has been the case in the past, a special council meeting would be called, where the whole thing, including the mill rate bylaw, would be voted on. That didn't happen.