A Chatham Councillor says the community won’t see “the ugly list” during the upcoming budget deliberations in the early part of 2021.
Councillor Brock McGregor entered a successful motion at Monday night’s December 14, 2020 electronic Council meeting.
“That administration move forward with budget direction as outlined in the information report that encompasses council direction and previously approved priorities, and include in the budget documentation summaries of recent service level reductions rejected by council that were consistent with efforts to pursue a zero percent operational increase,” McGregor said in his motion.
Following the meeting, McGregor provided further insight in a social media post.
“We won’t see the ugly list of arena or library closings, but will see a summary of recent council decisions that contradict our previous direction to move towards a 0% budget,” McGregor wrote.
“Ultimately this just influences what the draft budget looks like. It is still up to budget committee (council) to ultimately take ownership of the budget and decide how to balance investment, service reduction (or service increases), and community priorities.”
A “2021 Budget Update” information report was also received by Council on Monday night, which included a summary of the feedback received during a recent budget survey.
Read the full information report, here.
On Wednesday January 13, 2021, Council will host its online budget committee opening night meeting beginning at 6 p.m.
Community consultation meetings will be held as follows:
– Tuesday, January 19 at 12 p.m.
– Wednesday, January 20 at 4 p.m.
– Thursday, January 21 at 6 p.m.
Details on how the public will access the meetings will be provided once the format is finalized.
Budget committee deliberations will be held online from 6 p.m. to 10 pm. beginning January 27.
