Prince George's budget needs Prince George's input.
City Hall has issued an invitation for the public to come tell them how to spend taxpayers' money. In a process similar to the provincial Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services meeting today in Prince George on its tour of the province, the municipal budget builders want your views as well.
"We have done this before, it's not the first time, I am glad we are embarking on this again," said councillor Murry Krause, chair of the Finance and Audit Committee, the group of city staff and councillors leading this outreach. "We have always valued the input from all sectors of the community: businesses, individuals, stakeholders."
It was through another outreach exercise, the myPG survey, that it came strongly to light how much the public wanted more input on the budget process. A schedule has been established to get that discussion happening. People can make budget suggestions via an online survey, by mailing or e-mailing written submissions, make a 30-second statement on video, attend a 'committee of the whole' meeting on Oct. 23, or come out to a public forum on Oct. 28 at City Hall (times TBA).
"Our hope is that people participate. I know sometimes people think their input has no effect on the final outcomes, but it certainly does, we want people to take part," said Krause. "It is important, this is the opportunity to discuss the things you support or don't believe funding should be spent on. Should this be a maintenance budget or would you like to see expanded spending in some areas?"
All the submissions will be gathered by the committee and put in a form that the financial staff at City Hall will use in their 2011 number crunching.
"You gather it all and use a process to distill it down, and find out what the themes are," said Krause. "It is hard work but we want diverse opinions, we want a broad representation of the community's thoughts."
For more information on how you can get involved, visit http://www.city.pg.bc.ca/city_services/finance or...
1. Public Open House- October 28, 2010; afternoon and evening session at City Hall;
2. October 23, 2010 - Committee of the Whole meeting;
3. Participate in an online survey;
4. Send us your written submission:
* By E-MAIL: [email protected] (Please include your contact information)
* By FAX: 250.561.7721
* By MAIL: 2011 Budget Engagement Process, City of Prince George, 1000 Patricia Blvd, Prince George, BC., V2L 3V9
* Online submission
5. E-mail: [email protected] a 30 second video clip (25 megabite size limit) on what your budget priorities are.
