For the second year in a row, council has approved an interim operating budget in order to wait for more information from administration.
As it stands, the proposed budget calls for a 6.38 per cent tax increase for 2014. That equates to a $120 tax increase for a homeowner with a property assessed at $750,000.
Approving an interim budget allows administration to continue business as usual, while council carries on with its deliberations.
When voting on the proposed budget, Dec. 17, council decided it would like some conditions on what expenses directors can undertake before the budget is approved in its entirety.
鈥淚t does concern me鈥攏ot that I don鈥檛 have faith in the staff鈥攖o approve an interim operating budget in the amount of the full budget presented to us鈥擺$13,739,462]鈥攚ithout some reservations,鈥� said Mayor Richard Ireland. 鈥淚t just doesn鈥檛 seem prudent.鈥�
Included in council鈥檚 conditions, as laid out by Ireland, are no new studies or positions and no large expenditures until council has given the final nod of approval.
Rather than including each condition in the motion, council鈥攐n the advice of Peter Waterworth, the town鈥檚 chief administrative officer鈥攚rote that it adopts the interim budget 鈥渂ased on the conditions discussed.鈥�
Waterworth explained that it would be more efficient for administration if council鈥檚 conditions were flexible, so that the odd item that falls within the conditions鈥攍ike the hiring of an administrative assistant for the operations department, as was allocated for in the 2013 budget鈥攃an still be acted upon without it coming to the council table.
鈥淚f we have to discuss something, [that鈥檚 better] than having to come back to the council table to say you鈥檝e caught something that you didn鈥檛 intend to catch,鈥� said Waterworth.
Council agreed.
Like last year, it is possible that the budget will not be approved until Spring, as council would like to first see the finalized operating budget for 2013 and that won鈥檛 be available until the third week of February.
Along with a desire to see this year鈥檚 numbers, council also has a number of line items it would like to discuss further.
Included in those is the hiring of an administrative assistant for council, the regional air carrier study, the joint land use study, the benchmarking study and whether or not the delegation from Hakone, Japan鈥擩asper鈥檚 sister city鈥攎ight postpone its trip until 2015.
Those discussions will play out in the new year, as will discussions on the municipality鈥檚 capital budget.
To review the proposed operating budget for 2014, visit the municipality鈥檚 website (jasper-alberta.com) and click 鈥淚nterim budget approved鈥� on the right hand side.
Nicole Veerman
[email protected]
