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 $67.5 MILLION IN BUDGET AMENDMENTS
| Over October and November, town hall meetings were held across the city to hear directly from citizens about our 2009 budget. There were some consistent themes offered, like the need to weed out inefficiencies, and to be fair in how and where we spend. Many said they thing we need to keep planning for growth, and not repeat the mistakes of the past by halting our investments during a slower economy. Overall, more than 500 people offered valid concerns and helpful suggestions, which helped me to frame the budget proposal which I released recently. |
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This proposal calls for almost a $70 million reduction in our spending. It means the final tax increase could realistically be in line with the inflation rate of 3.75 per cent. It allows us to bring our costs in line without impacting services or our ongoing efforts to build onto our city’s infrastructure. These are some of the ideas we are debating now.
- Improved revenue forecasting - In 2001 the City got less-than-half of its revenue (47%) from property owners and the rest from other revenue sources. In the 2009 proposed budget, that balance is directly reversed, demonstrating growing dependence on property owners. More needs to be done to ensure City operating revenue growth keeps pace with expense growth, and several opportunities have been identified to do this.
- Applying more conservative cost projections – Reflecting global market conditions, anticipated reductions in inflationary impacts, reduced fuel costs, lower utility costs, and lower transfers to reserve accounts – all of these savings must be used to reduce our tax bill overall.
- Improving efficiencies across the corporation – After seven years of growth budgets, we need to look for efficiencies, like fast-tracking efficiency improvements recommended in our mobile and equipment services budget which our Auditor identified; reducing duplication of services and corporate travel and education expenses, as well as consulting costs.
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These are realistic suggestions that will allow us to do better for our taxpayers, and hopefully they will gain Council’s support.
I want to thank all of those who helped frame this proposal by participating in the town halls or by contacting my office. |
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