Town council tried something new this year in attempting public consultation during the 2017 budget process – doing absolutely nothing in actively seeking feedback.
On Feb. 7 town council discussed how to incorporate public feedback in the budget process, as council said attempts in previous years – such as town halls and open-houses – were unsuccessful.
Mayor Roger Morrill concluded the Feb. 7 discussion by saying he would “like to see as much input as we can.”
Yet somehow council managed to pass both their operating and capital budgets last week without even a single town hall or open house.
Town financial director Donna Anderson confirmed there were no budget open-houses, but all budget workshops were open to the public.
During all of these meetings, the only member of the public in attendance was one reporter from the Advocate.
While opening up budget meetings to the public is certainly an extremely important step in the right direction, how can councilors know what town residents want from the 2017 budget if no consultation was actively attempted?
Some municipalities will keep budget meetings private and encourage feedback using an online survey, and others may have town halls to promote consultation.
In order to ensure taxpayers are properly involved in how their money is being spent by town council, both aspects of open budget meetings and council’s actively seeking feedback is essential.
After council’s negligence in passing their final 2016 budget until the 11th hour of 2016, their disregard of public input into this year’s budget is duly noted.
While this is the last budget process the current council will go through before October election, future councils must know such disregard for their residents’ feedback on budget matters is unacceptable.
Taxpayers need to know their voices should be heard in this. The town budget is not a sexy topic, but it’s more important than most of us realize.
The map to the future of Athabasca is written within budget lines, and those that will participate in that future should have a say in it.
