Besides press and councillors, only one person showed any interest in the Public Budget Meeting on April 10.
Especially with the impact of the provincial budget, the city had to make some tough decisions so the discussion points had a drastic change from March 21 to March 23.
Speaking about this with the Director of Community Development & Communications Services, Jennifer Brooks, this was an important meeting.
This is “where the rubber hits the road,” she says. “This is where Council’s deliberation and decision-making takes place.”
With the release of the provincial budget and the wrench that was thrown into the municipal budget cogs, more could have been done to make sure word got out before the budget was passed.
However, no one is completely blameless, including the city, on a lack of presence at the budget meeting since timing affected their ability to use every avenue available to them.
Granted this should be taken into account, however, budget season is the same time every year. People should not be surprised when budget discussion comes up.
I applaud everyone who came to the previous public budget meeting, those who wrote letters or called councillors.
I applaud everyone who spoke out against the cuts to the Summer Fun program.
Mayor Rob Muench was quick to bring it to councils attention that this was a problem.
That is how the democratic process works.
This is a tough job for city councillors and the mayor to do and they welcome people’s input on the subject.
Every year people are quick to complain about how the budget missed the mark in their minds or how their favourite program is being cut but what are they doing to discuss or prevent it?
There are any number of the things people can do to make sure they are involved in the budget process.
When I say people have to be present, this can be anything from calling up city hall, writing an email, or having a one on one discussion with a councillor.
If people want to engage with the city there are many avenues for doing so. They have a spot in the Humboldt Journal and social media channels. Their email addresses and phone numbers are public knowledge and are active on their website.
We have a voice in all levels of government and it is easy to get the word out to a city or municipal councillor when they live down the street from you.
Brooks understands that people are busy with work and families but that makes it a challenge for the city to engage with the community when issues arise.
No one is blameless but more can be done on both sides.
