Budget 2020: Where We've Come and My Priorities

Tomorrow, Council heads into deliberations concerning Budget 2020. This is the third budget our current City Council will be setting. And it will be a very difficult one….

As with any large organisation, there is still room for efficiency in the City. We’ll continue figuring out how to use City resources better. But, we don’t have anywhere near the same potential savings as was possible last year. As always, inflation adds annual costs to the City. And in 2020, provincial and federal changes are creating holes worth millions of dollars in the City budget.

I do not see how Council could set a 2020 tax decrease, or even hold taxes where they are, without reducing some services delivered by the City. At the same time, controlling the tax burden is a big concern. Through budget deliberations, the predominant conversation will be, “in light of significant increased costs to the City, how can we balance maintaining quality services with charging reasonable taxes?”…

Dylan BresseyNovember 12, 2019budgetComment

Budget 2020: Impacts of Provincial and Federal Decisions

Next week, Council will be debating Budget 2020. Recently, I wrote about what we heard from the public regarding the budget. In this post, I’ll be writing about the impact provincial and federal decisions will have on the City’s budget.

There are many changes happening at the provincial and federal levels. Because of these, the City will need to make up for millions of dollars in lost revenue and increased costs between 2019 and 2020. This lost revenue will have an impact on local services and/or taxes.

Dylan BresseyNovember 10, 2019budget, policeComment

Budget 2020: Public Feedback

One of my biggest focuses on Council has been increasing opportunities for public engagement. As Council heads into deliberations for Budget 2020, I’ve been excited to see new efforts to involve residents.

City administration has prepared a report with what it has heard about the budget. You can read it here.

Here are the observations I’ve made from reading this report:

For respondents, good services are a higher priority than lowering taxes
Most City services are providing satisfactory results
People need to be shown better value for their tax dollars
Roads and public safety should be top priorities
Snow removal needs attention
Policing needs continued attention

Following is more information about how people were invited to engage in the budget process and expanded explanations about the take-aways I see from their responses.

Dylan BresseyNovember 6, 2019budget, police, snowComment

Affordable Housing

I've seen this CBC story floating around, with many people expressing concern:

Housing is a very big challenge in our community, so I am glad to see it being discussed. I'm thankful this article is creating conversation.

That being said, I think there are a few things worth clarifying….

Dylan BresseyOctober 4, 2019Comment

INFO

HELP