The following editorial appeared in the December 6 edition of the Guelph Mercury:
Guelph city councillors should be commended for a late-in-the process move to examine a leaner 2009 municipal operating budget.
The sagging economy apparently prompted Councillor Ian Findlay to propose that administration deliver an optional budget based on a 3.75 per cent tax increase.
The direction will no doubt challenge administration as the return date for the report on the smaller budget will be by Dec. 15, when council is to vote on the package. But the exercise should lead to considerations of potential savings that would likely otherwise have been overlooked.
Perhaps council should consider as a policy having administration prepare different budget scenarios on an annual basis. That might have proved helpful earlier this year when a proposal to deliver a budget based on a lower tax increase rate failed ostensibly because no one would propose a lower range for that alternate budget to come in on.
Obliging such a budget preparation pattern would create more work for administration. But it could offer equitable return on that investment.
We look forward to seeing how much the 3.75 per cent-increase budget colours deliberations at midmonth.