The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Question: Why does the public only see the city budget after council has voted to approve it twice (with the third and final voting awaiting)? Can we do like they do in Snow Lake and have a public consultation before the budget is drawn up? Lastly, would this not ensure that your budget is more representative of the public will? Mayor Therien: The budget is a long and arduous process and requires a lot of input from many sources and individuals to complete. Everyone from our management group from the city, as well as council, have input into the final result. Even the school board has input and I know their process is long and arduous as well. In the end, a compilation is presented to the public (the school board has their public meeting well in advance of ours). By the time it is presented, the budget has seen numerous adjustments and revisions so as to balance the requirements of the city with a fair and practical mill rate, which of course results in your property/business tax notices. We require all this to be done by mid-May to be sent to the province for approval on time. Processes like this require council to give three readings, all of which cannot be done on the same day. In fairness, the first and second reading can be done any time and can be amended prior to the third reading. The third reading is the one that brings conclusion to the budget process and this is always done after the public meeting. Although it may appear as a good idea to bring the public into the beginning of the process, it is not necessarily an idea that could work in a city the size of Flin Flon. As I said, this is a long and arduous process to begin with. Add to that the fact your city hires competent, qualified management staff that deal with the day-to-day operations of our city and, as a result, have better insight into the requirements than the general public. You also have your council involved in virtually all aspects of this process. Council is very involved in terms of capital cost items as well as acting as a "watch dog" in terms of reviewing department spending and revenue estimates. I am not sure that the public will is any less represented using this method as opposed to your suggestion. One thing to keep in mind is the more people involved in the process, the more convoluted the process actually would become. Everyone has their own ideas and concerns, which may or may not be what someone else wants or believes. In the end, you may not be able to put it all together, and certainly not in a timely manner. * * * Question: Does the city have an actual constitution or any other "guiding document" that sets out the philosophy for the municipal government? Mayor Therien: Is there such a thing as an actual constitution for the City of Flin Flon? The answer to that is I have never seen one in the 15 years I have been on council. That does not mean there is not one, but I am not sure there would be a need for one. I firmly believe all municipalities are governed using the same principles and logic. We, council, believe in offering the best available services to our citizens for a fair and equitable price, your taxes. We are constantly looking for ways and means to deliver goods and services that our citizens need with minimal financial impact to our taxpayers. We consult with all levels of government continuously to attempt to bring the best possible results for our citizens and this community. * * * Send your questions for Mayor Therien to The Reminder by phone at 687-3454, fax at 687-4473, e-mail at [email protected] or standard delivery at "Ask the Mayor," C/O The Reminder, 14 North Avenue, Flin Flon, MB, R8A OT2. No names are required. Ask the Mayor runs Mondays.
