Duane Hicks
A call for public input on the town’s 2015 budget has gone unanswered.
Fort Frances CAO Mark McCaig said yesterday that no one has contacted the town to get on the agenda for Monday’s public meeting.
But he added if anyone still would like to provide input on the budget, they can show up at 6 p.m. and council will give them some time to speak.
“It’s one of the key moments when the public can participate in local government . . . in the financial end of our operations,” McCaig remarked.
“If people have any kind of inclination to want to advocate for anything that they think needs to be done in the community, if they have any general commentary regarding taxation, if they have a specific road that needs to be fixed, or if they’re part of a charitable group that is going to be approaching council in the new year for money for an event, it’s a perfect opportunity for people to come and get that on the town’s radar,” he stressed.
“We do take anything that is presented at the public meeting and bring it back to the respective managers and the divisions under their purview,” McCaig explained.
“And it’s included in the operational budgets, and maybe even capital budgets if it passes the test of time through the budget process.”
While it’s true the town may not be able to fulfill budget requests the same the year they’re made, they can—and do sometimes—make their way into future budgets.
McCaig noted two examples completed this past summer were the resurfacing of Oakwood Road and the portion Frog Creek Road leading to the airport, both of which were budget requests made in recent years.
He also said although it’s possible that not all of the members of the current council who hear the budget input Monday will be involved in the process come January, the public input will be carried through.
Management still does its work compiling all of the items that need to be done, and what needs to be considered by council during budget deliberations, which start for council in January, McCaig added.
“Nothing is going to get lost in the shuffle,” he pledged.
“The new council will have an opportunity to scrutinize any of the stuff that was brought forward at the public meeting in the budget process,” he said.
