It looks like even more changes are in order for Wellington North’s budget process.
Council met April 4 and passed a number of resolutions brought from the finance committee and chairman Andy Lennox. The changes centred around levels of service and how they would affect the budget.
Lennox said, “You’ll see in your agendas some proposed resolutions to build on the foundation on developing a new pattern for our budget process.”
He hoped council would be able to discuss and review the resolutions presented that night.
“What I see this as, is based on the last [council] meeting and the issues brought forward. There’s some more details that need to be brought around to this process in my opinion.”
Part of the resolution was for staff to develop a policy based on the new foundation, Lennox said.
He anticipates that being presented to council by June 20 for approval, “so council and staff will all be on the same page in developing the 2012 budget and beyond.”
Councillor Dan Yake asked where things stand for this year’s budget.
Lennox said the policies are to set the stage for the future, but he hopes to have details of the 2011 budget in place by the end of April.
The first of the three resolutions centred on the issue current operations of the township are based on specific levels of service – as identified through past practice, available personnel, available infrastructure, and practices or procedures that are legislated.
The resolution requests the treasurer to prepare a policy whereby budgets be prepared on the basis of maintaining the current level of service, and define what that level is.
Further, any changes – increases or decreases – would need to be specifically approved by council.
The next resolution requests details how changes to service levels are introduced, described, assessed, and communicated.
It also stated any changes include budget impacts “in the form of a supplementary budget independent of the general operating budget.”
That information is to include capital and anticipated capital costs and revenue over a 20 year period, in addition to associated operating revenues and expenditures over a five year period.
Plus, council endorsed a resolution that a policy be drafted so that starting in 2012, departments generate an annual budget on a month by month basis reflecting normal expenses and revenues for each month.
Lennox said the intent is to base budgets on consistent levels of service from year to year – to make it comparable.
Secondly, he said if the level of service changes, it should have a supplementary budget to detail what the impact will be.
The last resolution, Lennox said, “is that we’re going to start looking at this on a month by month basis, on an ongoing basis to identify problems and react to them.”
Council endorsed all the resolutions.
