On Wednesday December 16, the Municipality of Meaford held their first public budget meeting for the 2010 calendar year.
This was a much earlier start for the budget process, as last year the first meeting wasn't held until late February.
Meaford's new Treasurer David Kennedy stressed to council and residents in attendance that the budget documents put before council on Wednesday were only a preliminary draft, and much will change before a final budget is presented to council for approval.
For this first meeting the focus was on the operating budget. Draft budgets for water and sewer, and the capital side of things will come before council in early January.
In his presentation Kennedy offered some general information as well as specifics for many of the municipal departments.
While it is too early in the process to draw any conclusions about the direction of the 2010 budget, there were some interesting elements including a list of what Kennedy called “enhancements” which totalled $595,200 that were not found in the 2009 budget.
Those enhancements include $50,000 being added to the General Government budget in order to finance the 2010 municipal election, a $161,000 increase in the Corporate Services budget to cover various items including increased insurance costs and the hiring of a Treasurer, as well as requests from many departments to have funds worked in to the budget that would be destined to reserves.
Perhaps the most surprising number was an increase of $200,000 to the CAO/HR/Administrative Services budget. Kennedy explained that the increase which doubles the legal expenses budgeted in 2009 is required in order to properly plan for legal costs which have not been fully covered in previous budgets.
“This increase would reflect historical actuals,” said Kennedy of the proposed enhancement.
After the meeting Kennedy told reporters that not all of the 10 proposed 'enhancements' are necessities.
“Aside from the enhancements for legal and election costs, the other proposed additions are more of a wish list,” said Kennedy.
Kennedy is determined to work the budget to the point that it will fall within the five year plan established during the 2009 budget deliberations that will see a maximum blended property tax increase of five percent.
“I am confident that we will get to the five percent blended rate level for a tax increase,” he said.
Also of note is the direction the municipality appears to be taking with regard to economic development. In previous years funds for economic development and tourism have been allocated to the Meaford & District Chamber of Commerce. The contract with the Chamber is soon to expire, and as Kennedy told those in attendance, there may be some changes.
“Some of the work that the Chamber has been doing may be transferred over to the economic development project,” said Kennedy, “The $135,000 is regardless of who is doing the economic development; the Chamber, or the municipality.”
An exhaustive economic development strategy project called MEDS was undertaken in 2009 to find ways to stimulate economic growth within the municipality. Council has pledged to maintain the momentum and move forward with the implementation of the various objectives and strategies that were included in the report presented to council on December 14.
Understanding that the information provided was a starting point, and mostly for informational purposes, members of council reserved comments about particulars in the draft budget until more work is done, and further drafts are prepared.
When asked about the status of the 2009 budget which Kennedy, who was then acting as a volunteer financial consultant had a major role in constructing, the Treasurer was confident that Meaford will not see another deficit.
“I continue to say that we will not be over budget,” declared Kennedy, “Unless we get 10 feet of snow between now and the end of the year, we should be okay.”
More public budget meetings will be held in the new year.
