Your Input on Multi-Year Budget Planning

For the first time ever City Council will be attempting to develop balanced operating and capital budgets for 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Over the past few weeks we have read about many proposed cuts to City services. As I and 6 other Councillors are not members of the Mayor’s Executive Policy Committee, we are not privy to meetings and discussions with department directors on budget details. Over the holidays I will be preparing my budget recommendations and will be submitting them to the Mayor and his budget working group to consider as they prepare the budgets for the next four years.

Contrary to much talk of this budget process being ‘new and improved and very collaborative’ – it isn’t. The Mayor and his budget working group will now meet behind closed doors for the next 3 months to craft a four year balanced budget. This process eliminates almost half of Council (7 elected officials) and I don’t support this type of ‘collaboration’.

The public has had one opportunity to present their recommendations during this process and I expect there will be another time where formal presentations can be made to Council, though no dates have been provided yet. Residents can always submit comments, feedback and recommendations to at any time to Mayor Bowman: bbowman@winnipeg.ca

The budget must be decided on and passed by March 30^th – watch for coming details.