Courtenay council was so impressed by a citizen delegation on the city’s budget process that it’s asked staff to develop a response.
Gary Guthrie, an accountant and the retired CAO of Abbotsford, made a presentation to council June 12 about ways to improve its budget process, and make matters clearer to the average taxpayer.
He had five suggestions for council, chief among being to start the budget process earlier.
CAO David Allen told council at its June 19 meeting that city staff had already undertaken some work, before the delegation, on the timing of the budget cycle.
“Staff are currently working toward providing information earlier in the year. The operating budget worksheets are going out in September,” he said, adding that the intent is to have the budgeting process ready for first reading in December.
Allen said there are challenges in getting an early budget adoption.
“It’s not to provide an excuse,” he said, but there has been considerable changeover in city hall staffing, especially on the senior staff side where retirements have taken their toll.
Counc. Doug Hillian said he found Guthrie’s presentation and sharing of expertise as well as criticism “very refreshing”.
He compared Guthrie’s “totally transparent, respectful” approach to that of “well-heeled individuals” hiding behind newspaper ads “attempting character assassination”.
Hillian was referring to a series of full page advertisements in the Comox Valley Record sponsored by the “Comox Valley Taxpayers”.
“It’s refreshing to see somebody up front to speak in a respectful way,” Hillian said of Guthrie. “I think that’s an example we should encourage our citizens to follow.”