Budget Talk

There's a lot of it. Brock Weir, The Auroran's reporter attends all the meetings. He uses a tape recorder  and whatever quote he chooses to use from the meeting is precise.We  assume he is equally meticulous on quotes made outside  meetings.

On December 20th he reported a statement from the Mayor.

"I have challenged staff to cut their budgets even further to lower the impact to our residents. Our goal is to maintain services at the lowest cost to the community while maintaining the quality of our work."

It sounds positively on the side of the  taxpayers. My problem with the statement  is threefold:

1.I don't recall a challenge  issued to staff during council's budget deliberations
2.I have seen no evidence of it.
3.It bespeaks staff are solely responsible for the tax burden..

The budget process has proceeded as follows;

Meetings were scheduled . Each meeting had an agenda. First a Director took the podium and presented a business plan for  to support his 2012 budget. 

The Mayor asked if there were  any "meaningful", emphasis on the word, questions or comments to the presentations. At the start of each report  a prepared resolution  was  provided .First clause  to accept the presentation. Second, to approve the budget as presented.

Green pages of figures follow for perusal and another mayoralty request for comments  or questions.

Well by Jove. It's a pretty damned efficient process  Not too many questions  and  less conclusions reached but onward  we  marched, approving as we went....lickety split.

The only input I heard from the Mayor during the entire process was to increase the education grant. Now top students in each of  six high schools will receive a higher amount. The figure has been increasing annually because high schools have increased.

It's not a large amount  but students receiving them, generally, clean up  on grants. For one reason or another, even if it's just being smarter than everybody else, they do seem to be the lucky ones.But I digress.

At the end of the managed process ,the budget was not  finally approved. Councillor Paul Pirri said it for most I think when he stated he was not prepared to approve it as it stood. He needed more information . He cited a specific area.

Treasurer Elliott said timing was very important but acknowledged the process could have been improved by the inclusion of the information but he would strive to provide it.

Councillors were notified of another meeting  before Christmas .It had been slotted  "if needed". The  stated  purpose was to approve the budget.The  focus was clear.

I had grown tired of  the assigned role of  inanimate object on a chess board to be checked and cross-checked until the game was played, the board cleared and the spoils to the victor.

I declared myself unavailable for meetings in the days before Christmas.

I dolefully contemplated  budget approval  as presented anyway.

But Lo.... A Star rose in the East and that is not what came to pass.

The Mayor publicised another statement. He said Council was holding back for approval of the  new Strategic Plan in the NewYear.

I didn't vote for  $85,000 in last year's budget  for consultant services to strategise  a new plan.  I think it's a crock.