Changes made to city budget schedule

By Dave Flaherty/The Oshawa Express

The tentative approval date for the city’s 2019 budgets has been pushed back slightly.

It took a lot of debate, but Ward 5 regional councillor Brian Nicholson was successful in his efforts to lengthen the budget process.

The original approval date was Jan. 25, 2019, but council voted in favour of extending that to Feb. 9.

Mayor Dan Carter and Ward 4 regional councillor Rick Kerr were in opposition.

There were originally two deliberation meetings scheduled for council to discuss the 2019 budget.

However, Nicholson said, “never in my years of council have I seen such a compressed budget review process.”

Calling the budget the “most important function of this council,” he also pointed out that the region’s budget process will take about three-and-a-half months.

To him, the schedule would significantly reduce councillor’s ability to prepare and properly discuss the budget, particularly those doing it for the first time.

“No human being can function for eight hours on consecutive days on a budget,” Nicholson stated.

Originally, Nicholson had sought to amend the schedule, which was originally set by the previous council in June 2017.

However, Carter said because Nicholson’s motion sought to change this previous decision, he would not let the motion go forward.

This didn’t sit well with the veteran councillor.

“This council was elected after the elimination of that previous council,” Nicholson said.

“Could you indicate where in the Municipal Act or wherein the authority of council that a previous council has the authority to direct that this newly elected council can’t select is own budgetary schedule.”

Carter argued it was his belief that every recommendation and report that has been approved previously carries forward to the next council.

Nicholson said he had never heard such a thing.

“With all due respect, I’ve never seen that particular interpretation made in any council I’ve ever sat on and I’m now on my 12th council, including both the region and the city,” he says.

He argued that council has the “authority to schedule its meetings in any shape or form it wishes.”

“It’s horrendous that a previous council would even try to limit what a new council can do,” he said.

Ward 5 city councillor John Gray agreed, noting that the first budget of a council term is almost always the most challenging.

“It’s a little too tight. With that little extra learning time, a lot will be gained through all the questions the rest of us ask,” he said.

Ward 1 city councillor Rosemary McConkey said as a new councillor she would appreciate having more time.

She also alluded to Carter’s inaugural address where he stated there was a “need for change” and that council should work as a team.

“I’d like to see the teamwork right from the beginning,” McConkey said.

The city’s commissioner of finance Stephanie Sinnott said the proposed schedule was not changed from last year’s, but councillors had received the budget documents earlier in 2017.

“There is no difference in the number of days we’ve set aside for deliberations to last year. The process has not changed,” Sinnott stated.

Eventually, Nicholson’s motion to have the tentative approval date moved two weeks back was approved.