Jasperites exercised their democratic right a month ago, casting ballots to select seven people to represent the community for the next four years.
And now those seven people are preparing for their next big assignment: the budget.
Municipal elections are likely the one and only time most residents engage with the municipality over the course of a term. But, beyond elections, the annual budget process is one of the most important public engagement opportunities the municipality holds each year.
It is during council鈥檚 deliberations that the community has an opportunity to speak up and share their opinions on how the community鈥檚 tax dollars should be spent, and an opportunity to hold the mayor and council accountable, ensuring they鈥檙e asking the right questions and approving the right numbers.
It is also an opportunity for residents to learn where the municipality鈥檚 money is going, as well as the actual cost of operating such an organization.
Of course, it goes without saying that watching a group of people go line-by-line through hundreds of pages of numbers isn鈥檛 the most exhilarating way to spend an evening鈥攚e know, we鈥檝e been there鈥攂ut in the grand scheme of things, what鈥檚 a couple nights of boredom when there鈥檚 something to be gained?
Plus, Christine Nadon, the municipality鈥檚 communications manager, is also working to make the process a little less dry. She鈥檚 putting together an engaging display, depicting how the community鈥檚 tax dollars are spent, and she鈥檚 also bandying about the idea of creating an interactive display that would allow residents to mark down where they鈥檇 like to see their money go.
Last year, 10 people showed up for the budget deliberations held at the Jasper Activity Centre and, according to Nadon, that was a record.
That鈥檚 not hard to believe considering the year before there was only one person in the gallery, keeping the media company. (Thanks, Charlie.)
October鈥檚 election proved that Jasperites want to be engaged鈥攙oter turnout increased by seven percentage points over the 2010 election. So, Jasper, engage. This is your opportunity to have a say and to ensure the people you elected last month deliver on their promise to serve the community.
Deliberations will be broken up into two nights. The first, Dec. 9, will cover the environmental services and administration budgets, while the second night, Dec. 11, will tackle the budgets for culture and recreation, community and family services and protective services.
If there鈥檚 something you鈥檇 like to see on any of those budgets, you can start the process of engagement now by approaching the directors of those departments, and if you don鈥檛 get what you want there, take it to council Dec. 9 or 11.
We hope to see you there.
