YORKTON - We have arrived at 2024, so we should expect to have a first look at this year’s municipal budget soon.
It was not so many years ago the Council of the day pushed to have the budget done with weeks left on the previous year’s calendar.
It was suggested at the time that by getting the work done early everybody was afforded important time to plan.
That meant to start with taxpayers had some time to fold any tax or fee hikes into their own budgets headed to the new year.
It was also suggested that by the city clearly laying out what projects it was going to undertake in the year ahead they could start tender processes early potentially attracting more bids because firms wouldn’t be booked up in terms of work so far ahead of the work season for things such as sidewalks and road construction.
But, since 2023 is firmly in our rear view mirror this edition of Council obviously has no thoughts regarding unveiling of a new budget being a good thing.
That said Council and city administration have no doubt been at work behind closed doors working on the 2024 budget.
A budget is never an overnight process and there are decisions and choices to be made in terms of what gets funded in the year of the budget, what gets pushed to the future and what gets chopped completely.
This is where our elected councillors have to roll up their sleeves and get into the guts of city spending, fighting for what they see as important to fund, or alternately passionately promoting why certain costs should be cut.
At least we hope that is what happens. Taxpayers aren’t privy to the budget deliberations.
And that we don’t get to see our elected Council operating in arguably its most important role, where they will spend taxpayer dollars is unfortunate to say the least.
Some might suggest that the eye of the public might quell debate around the table, but really if a Councillor does not have the conviction to provide his thoughts on a budget item in view of the electorate they might not be best suited to the role.
It is important for municipal voters to know their Council. Are they doing a good job in their role, and that role certainly includes city spending since no one wants a tax increase unless they can see could value in it.
So what projects did each Councillor rally around, or push to the back-burner? What were their individual reasons?
Ultimately, why has so much been behind closed doors. It is after all taxpayer’s dollars being spent by elected officials.
