Town council will debate the 2025 Amherstburg budget in late 2024, but council members are already providing input on what should be in and out of the documents.
The budget will be presented to town council Nov. 18, where it is expected to be tabled. According to a schedule provided by administration, and agreed to by town council, that public engagement follows online from Nov. 19-Dec 2 with the operating and capital budgets being reviewed by the audit and finance advisory committee Dec. 2.
Council is scheduled to deliberate the 2025 budget Dec. 9 from 6-10 p.m., Dec. 10 from 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. and, if required, Dec. 11 from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Formal adoption of the budget by town council is tentatively scheduled for Jan. 13, 2025. A capital budget report is coming before council Aug. 12, noted Deputy CAO/director of development service Melissa Osborne.
Councillor Diane Pouget said she had concerns regarding the budget report, one being the timing for it going before the audit and finance committee. She pointed out there are only seven days between the committee meeting and the beginning of budget deliberations by council.
“I don’t think one week is enough for them to deal with this at their meeting concerning the budget and then to be able to request to present before council,” said Pouget.
Pouget also questioned the budget being “too early” and asked if the budget could be delayed until actuals could be presented to council.
“We’re currently still working on our 2023 year-end and we’re in June,” said director of corporate services/treasurer Tracy Prince.
If the town waited for actuals, “we would be presenting a budget probably in August 2025,” she said.
Prince added they provide audited actuals “and they’re still under review by the auditors.”
CAO Valerie Critchley said the sooner an operating and capital budget is approved, it allows items to get to tender quicker.
“The longer you wait, the longer you’re delaying that process as well,” said Critchley.
Other Windsor-Essex County municipalities have moved to budgeting later in the year for that reason, the CAO added.
Pouget said administration asks for additional money for overages on projects at “almost every meeting” and believed “all the way through the year, it keeps coming back to us to approve an over-expenditure. That’s very concerning in itself.”
“I’d have to go back and see how many reports there have been to that nature. I don’t know that it’s been every meeting,” said Critchley. “As the treasurer has said before, what the budget is our best estimate of what is going to happen throughout the year. Things do happen throughout the year, that’s absolutely true, and sometimes we have to come back to council and make different decisions.”
Regarding actuals, Critchley said directors look at budgets and where expenditures are coming in the third quarter and beyond and make projections that are given to the audit and finance committee.
“We will know what our second quarter actuals are, we will have a pretty good handle about what our third quarter actuals are, and we’re able to make those projections for council,” said Critchley. “We’ll also have our past five years of actuals and we’ll see what the trends are. Obviously, you don’t just go off of one year. Something might have happened that’s a one-off.”
Councillor Linden Crain, who chairs the audit and finance committee, said two weeks is enough time to review the budget. The seven days gives them time to come up with a presentation to town council.
“It’s no different than us being provided ten days or two weeks to review a council report. I think two weeks is plenty of time (to review the budget),” he said.
Deputy Mayor Chris Gibb, another member of the audit and finance committee, said he needs at least two weeks to properly review the budget. Councillor Peter Courtney agreed the committee needs ample time to review the documents and it’s presented one week later.
“I’ve got to think about that a little more,” he said.
Courtney said “it irks me a little bit” that the budget is developed based on current service levels.
“We’re in tough times. I’ve been asking from our staff, our professionals, for ways to offer similar services of like municipalities. Are we over-indulging in certain aspects? Are we trying to do too much with the taxpayers’ dollars?” said Courtney.
The sidewalk snow removal program for Amherstburg was an example Courtney cited. Pouget later suggested that could be removed, noting it started as a program only designated for Front Road North.
“When we keep saying we got to keep jacking the taxes up and we’re using each operating budget, we’re not even looking for retractions and starting at a lower level,” he said. “I know you’re going to say this is council’s purview to decide on what service levels you’re going to give to residents. I already know this.”
Further guidance should be given by administration, he believed, and Courtney wanted more savings from within. He added he didn’t see an issue with the actual scheduling of the budget.
“We always go with current service levels. I would love it if we could find some savings somewhere, something we’re doing that is above and beyond and maybe we can make some modifications to provide good service levels that don’t have to be over the top,” added Councillor Molly Allaire.
Mayor Michael Prue wanted to know how much money was already pre-committed to the 2025 budget, with Prince stating salaries, benefits and debt need to be factored in but didn’t have the number off the top of her head at the June 25 meeting.
“There are commitments you make throughout the year,” said Critchley. “For example, in 2024 it was a two per cent salary contractual obligation. We’re going into negotiations for next year so we don’t know what that will be.”
The CAO said numbers like the contractual obligations as well as CPI are something that are brought down to “something that is more palatable.” She said during the pandemic, taxes in Amherstburg were “quite low” when inflation was more than what the tax rate was.
“Those things do catch up,” she said.
Critchley told council that administration “wants to bring the most efficient budget to you that we can and that’s always our goal.”
“Council cannot come in with another recommendation of another seven per cent. I understand I was the only one that voted against the 6.2 per cent increase for the budget, but we have many residents who are barely making it from week-to-week. We cannot present another budget that we did last year,” said Pouget.
Pouget said Prue promised to come in with a zero per cent budget, but Prue said his goal was to come in “very low.”
“We did the first year. It was the lowest in the whole county and not one person congratulated us. The second year when we were the second highest, all hell broke loose,” the mayor said.
Courtney said taxation has to be looked at more closely and took exception that taxes were kept “too low” by council in previous years.
“I’m looking forward to all of the things council is going to cut from the budget this year,” added Gibb. “With all this talk of cutting, I’m looking for motions. We do a lot of talking during budget but we don’t make a lot of motions to cut anything.”
Courtney interjected to state making “Open Air once a month” with Gibb replying he was looking forward to Courtney’s position on that.
Budget schedule set for 2025 deliberations after debate by council
By Ron Giofu
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