YORKTON - At the regular meeting of Yorkton Council one brief comment noted they have been in talks regarding the 2023 budget.
That is in no way surprising in as much as some past Councils have worked to complete the city’s budget by this time of year, feeling that getting the numbers crunched early gave the city an edge when it came to tendering approved projects ahead of the majority of municipalities which were still crunching their spending numbers.
While seen as a good move then that philosophy never transferred to the current Council.
Whether that is good or bad is a matter of personal viewpoint, although some communities have already been announcing their tax hikes.
For Yorkton taxpayer’s the hike they will face in 2023 will wait until the new year to be revealed.
However, what is more disappointing is that the discussions elected Councillors have had in hammering out the details of the budget are being held behind closed doors.
One can appreciate there is a belief by some that they can be more open in debate, more forthright with administration and each other free of the public gaze and the media, but since they work on our collective behalf might we not want to ‘see’ them in action on what is the key decision they make each year.
It is after all our money – through taxes we pay – that they are determining how best to spend most effectively.
And, since come election time we need to make the best decisions on who we trust to elect to Council their ‘nitty gritty’ views on budget could be rather insightful.
By the time the budget is hammered and formed into a near completed document with barely a ‘T’ still needing crossed is presented Council has found its consensus. They have already fought their individual fights over the various items contained in the operating and capital budgets.
What we as voters and taxpayers have missed is what each Councillors had to say on our behalf.
Did one Councillor make impassioned arguments to reduce snow removal to lower city costs and save taxpayers some dollars? Was the argument made compelling? What were the counterpoints made?
Did a Councillor suggest selling Deer Park Golf Course since it doesn’t make money? Or maybe someone on Council spoke of the potential of building condos on the course property to offset those losses.
Would someone have argued for more contracted services? Or, maybe it was a change in city policing services? Or, maybe a levy specific to covering infrastructure upgrades?
There could be a dozen ideas that if out there might spur debate and ultimately lead to positive change if the public knew what those ideas were.
And, the true irony of the closed door process is that this Council repeatedly talks about the need for transparency.
In fact, Raelyn Knudson – Assessment & Taxation Manager with the city actually noted that Monday noting in one presentation one of the sustainability pillars in the Yorkton 2020 Strategic Plan is Governance: “Maintaining a fiscally sustainable government focused on strategic decision-making, transparency and inclusiveness.”
That decision-making and transparency were both noted might suggest the doors to all budget discussion needs to be opened and the cameras turned on.
