City Council is expected to conclude a two-month budget process next week with final vote on the city's 2023-2024 budget plan.--News File Photo
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
City councillors, who have seen the clock run out on three separate meetings to ask questions, debate and pass the proposed city budget, will pick up the topic again on Dec. 19.
That’s besides approving a list of annual fee changes for Jan. 1, which was delayed last week but would typically go into effect on Jan. 1, along with other business that has backed up since last month.
That final meeting of 2022 will take place six weeks after the budget proposal was first tabled on Nov. 7. A trio of special and regular council meetings since have featured hours of presentations from managers and budget authors.
That’s led to questions from council members and it moved to final debate last week, but not before councillors began expressing frustration about the general council process, and time frames for decisions.
Councillors said they want more time to ask questions and discuss effects, especially of rate and fee changes, but they have also run out of time in three consecutive meetings.
Mayor Linnsie Clark, who won the 2021 election campaigning along with other incoming councillors on ending “closed-door” decision making, said the budget may be dealt with quickly at the next meeting and defended the timeline.
“We are working on improving our processes with the agenda, but the reality is this council is interested in ensuring this budget is well-understood and agreed to before we approve it,” she told the News after the Dec. 5 council meeting was adjourned at 10:20 p.m.
“We’re going back to following the procedure bylaw, which maybe wasn’t previously adhered to. It is dated and will be revised in the new year, and that should provide some clarity.”
Clark, a lawyer before politics, chairs the council meetings and often explains points and her directions, but how agendas are structured have recently changed, adding votes and subvotes on recommendations from committees.
After hearing final budget presentations from administrators last week, final budget debate began with Coun. Allison Knodel and Clark proposing amendments in the financial document to departmental policy goals.
At that point, Coun. Darren Hirsch called it “very unorthodox” as “there’s not even a backgrounder for me to read and understand,” he said.
Eventually the items were directed to committees for discussion, and the budget was paused to gain ground on other matters before an early adjournment.
“I think we need to get better at our time allocation,” said Coun. Shila Sharps, who pushed for a 10 p.m. adjournment (it was later revealed councillors were due at interviews for a new chief administrator the next morning).
“I don’t want to get through things just to say we’re getting things done. These agendas are so heavy at times, and that’s OK, if we can get through them.”
Coun. Ramona Robbins seconded the adjournment motion, while Coun. Alison Van Dyke noted to council the “timeliness” issues of pushing off decisions on items required by New Year’s.
This year, the budget also went to a “Committee of the Whole” meeting, which is a less rigid agenda, involves all council members and generally doesn’t include formal amendments, but can lead to requests for more information.
That lasted 2.5 hours, then similar time was allotted on Nov. 21, and again on Dec. 5.
On Dec. 19, council could sit past 11 p.m. to conclude business, but only if they pass a special resolution.
That meeting agenda includes the final portions of the city budget, the updated planning and development fee schedule for 2023, and several items from committees.
Council will also vote on a long list of appointments to city boards, commissions and outside agencies, such as the library board and police commission.
