Council brainstorming on budget process
Posted Jan 17, 2011 12:13 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Calgary city council met at a southeast facility Monday, to begin work on a new process for budget planning aimed at increasing public involvement.
Mayor Naheed Nenshi said the current budget process is seen by many as inflexible because the three-year cycle doesn’t adapt to boom and bust swings in the economy.
The mayor says it’s not as effective as it could be in reflecting the needs of citizens.
“When we want to ensure that the budget is created…involving the decision-makers and more Calgarians,” says Nenshi.
The mayor says council will also look at moving to zero-based budgeting, meaning departments would start from scratch rather than simply justify their increases.
“We’re spending most of the day talking about how to change the budget process to involve more Calgarians in our deliberations and how to really structure the front end of the transformation of municipal government in this city,” says Nenshi.
