I’m sure some people enjoy budgeting, but for most of us this fiscal management exercise is a challenge, as it forces us to get real about our wants and our needs in the context of a genuine appraisal of our financial situation. Budgeting for a whole community is an even bigger challenge, as citizens have diverse wants and needs, differing opinions on what our financial priorities should be, and, generally, a long entrenched aversion to paying more taxes for any incremental services they want the City to deliver.
But, creating an annual budget and a five-year financial plan is a foundational responsibility of elected City Councils, and a lot of the year is spent preparing a budget and monitoring the City’s finances.
Most of the detailed work on the City of Quesnel’s budget and financial plan is undertaken by a Standing Committee of Council, the Financial Sustainability and Audit Committee (FSAC). This Committee ultimately makes recommendations to Council on all aspects of the budget, which are then discussed and debated in open Council meetings, ultimately leading to Council’s approval of a final budget and the setting of tax rates for the budget year. As with all our Standing Committees, FSAC meets according to a posted schedule, the meetings are open to the public, and Council members who are not appointed to the Committee can attend and engage in the Committee’s deliberations. (FSAC meeting schedule, agendas, and minutes can be found at www.bit.ly/3oCLsac).
In order to maximize our capital dollars (money that is collected and/or held in reserve to build new infrastructure or make major repairs to existing infrastructure), FSAC works on the City’s capital plan and budget first. Early approval of the capital budget by Council allows City staff to prepare major construction projects for either tendering or for our own crews to work on. Early tendering of major projects can result in considerable savings for the City (and its taxpayers) and early preparation of capital projects that will be undertaken by City workers means they can be started earlier in the year, effectively extending our construction season.
Once the capital plan is approved by Council, FSAC digs into the operating budget. Unlike the capital plan, which is derived from a comprehensive asset management strategy, Council has more discretion and latitude over the priorities for the upcoming operating year and, therefore, needs more input from citizens to this major portion of the overall budget.
Getting meaningful and widespread input into the City’s budget is not easy. Over the years, Council has tried using special Council meetings and town hall sessions to get feedback with limited success (few people show up for these events, and many people come for information only). Three years ago, the City switched to an online survey, and each year participation in this survey has grown and the data collected has helped Council set priorities for the coming fiscal year.
The 2021 Budget Survey for the City of Quesnel is now available until November 30. This year we’re asking budget questions about snow removal and tax shifting and we’re also trying to collect some data on housing and from people who have recently moved to Quesnel.
I hope you’ll take the time to give us your feedback through this year’s budget survey. You can do the survey online at www.quesnel.ca/budget or by dropping in to City Hall to fill in a hard copy.
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