City councillors are set to discuss city budget priorities on Tuesday. --News FILE Photo
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A request for detailed expense and human resources information made by Mayor Linnsie Clark was again held over to the next meeting by city councillors.
That, says Coun. Ramona Robins, was due to Clark providing her legal reasoning for the request being provided nine minutes for Monday’s meeting – two weeks after the explanation was requested when the issue tabled at a meeting that was running long.
Robins moved the item to the top of this week’s agenda, but said that since Clark’s legal reasoning for the information was provided just nine minutes before the 6:30 p.m. start, there wasn’t enough time to consider it fully that night.
“We received that today at 6:21 p.m. and I’ll ask that it be adjourned to the next meeting so we have a chance to actually read that information,” said Robins. “There’s five pages of material, single-spaced, containing some of what Mayor Clark read (out on April 8) and some additional material as well.”
Robins had voted against hearing the report on April 8 when it was taken up with 10 minutes remaining before a set deadline, but requested an explanation of legal arguments made by Clark in the brief discussion.
Council agreed with Robins, voting 7-1 to postpone debate, with Coun. Robert Dumanowski absent and Clark voting against the motion.
She didn’t speak to the tabling in debate, and was unavailable for further comment as the meeting ran past deadline.
The new vote sent several Clark supporters to the door after a pre-meeting gathering on city hall steps to show support for the mayor, who’s vowing to fight sanctions that have touched off controversy in the city.
Clark made the original request two months ago, on Feb. 20, via email to top administrators.
It asks for figures going back four years on turnover and severances paid by the city, and figures for employees who receive “living expenses”, their positions, itemized items and dollar values.
It also asks for itemized spending statements for the top managers, including division heads and the city manager for 2023.
Clark argued in brief discussion on April 8 that since the information could be accessed by the public through freedom of information requests, it should be available to elected officials.
It was registered just as council was ready to receive a report at the end of February into allegations that Clark had breached the code of conduct in her dealings with city manager Ann Mitchell at a meeting last summer.
She was eventually heavily sanctioned leading to major debate across the city.
The request was not fulfilled so Clark forwarded it on to council’s April 8 agenda.
At that meeting, changes to the agenda moved it behind several lengthy items, and councillors voted not to extend the 4 hour 30 minute time limit meeting, so the item raised at 10:50 p.m. was held over to this week’s meeting.
Appeal for calm
Council members voted 8-0 to request and appear in a video asking for residents to direct complaints about council to elected officials and not to general municipal staff.
“The video will speak for itself,” said Coun. Ramona Robins, who introduced the motion. “But it’s not to discourage (complaints) but staff have taken an undue, an in my opinion, unfair, brunt for decisions that council has made.”
Budget talks today
Initial discussions toward building the 2025-26 city budget will begin tonight in a committee of the whole meeting of council.
The new format of staging multiple meetings on the financial plan was put in place ahead of the current two-year budget, and last year council agreed to spread them through the year to allow a more full discussion.
Administrators will present their assumptions for the two-year budget this afternoon at city council chambers, and ask for council’s direction on the use of reserve spending to address an operating deficit that sits at $15 million in 2023.
Cost-cutting targets, new program spending, proposed tax revenue, investment return expectations, debt levels and the overall capital budget will also be discussed.
Following the meeting, budget authors will then take the directions of council and provide capital budget projections in late June and early July. Overall budget deliberations would take place in late October and early November.
A final budget would be debated next December to be in place for Jan. 1, 2025.
