Red Deer city Councillors Frank Wong and Paul Harris want more community input before the final budget votes are tallied.
At Monday’s meeting, council passed several operating and capital budget guideline resolutions kicking off administration’s 2016 budget planning cycle.
It was only the second time that council directed administration with specific guidelines on how to craft the budgets.
But the two councillors say the process is missing one key element.
Wong said residents should have the option to review the line items before the budgets are sealed for the year.
“In other municipalities as soon as the presentation is over they have a cooling off period where the public could tell the officials their views,” said Wong.
The capital budget is usually passed in one day in November, after council has had the administration-recommended budget for a couple of weeks.
The operating budget is released to council over Christmas and it is typically debated over two weeks in January.
It becomes a public document when the media receives the budget the day before the staff presentations and debate.
“There is no point in the process where the public actually gets to see the final document and give their feedback to their councillors,” Harris explained.
Harris would also like to see the capital plan released before the debate so residents would be able to see what administration is suggesting and comment. “They could compare to the amenities research that we did,” he said.
“Council would get excellent feedback.”
Harris successfully argued to have the city look into “quick wins” for the 2016 process that may allow the public to see the budget before council begins debating.
Both Harris and Wong suggested releasing the budget to the public a day after it lands in council’s hands.
Mayor Tara Veer said the budgets are built with community input through the May budget open house and at other city events throughout the year.
“Different cities have different strategies for gathering public input,” said Veer. “We endeavour to get input early so that we can translate public input into action before tabling a document that has the potential to be out of step with the community’s interest.”
But Harris argued there is no check back with the community to ensure what the city has interpreted is correct. He said the input at the beginning is valuable but there needs to be some input at the end before council votes on it.
“There’s no ‘here’s what you said’ and ‘here’s how it looks like in the budget,’ ” said Harris. “Is this right? The only chance they have to say is it right is after we pass it. Then we get the calls ... that’s not what I wanted.”
Veer said the public has opportunity to respond to the budget during the two-week period when it is debated in January.
The city will review its entire budgeting process in 2017.
The 2016 budget open house is slated for May 11 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Festival Hall, at 4214 58th St.
crhyno@www.reddeeradvocate.com