HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1997-02-19, Page 23THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19,1997 PAGE 23.
Cty. councillors squabbles over budget process
Because of the onslaught of
changes coming from the provin
cial government, Huron County
staff will not implement a zero
based budgeting process until the
1998 budget, county council decid
ed Thursday.
Using a zero-based budget pro
cess, all departments would have to
start as if it had no programs and
money, then rebuild their activities,
justifying each additional expense.
The recommendation from the
Administration, Finance and Per
sonnel Committee was that there
wasn't enough time to put the new
budgeting process in place. Instead,
it will be put in place for the 1998
budget to be released in September
(the original proposal was Octo
ber).
But some of the councillors who
supported the decision of Nov. 28
to use the zero-based principle,
were upset at the time wasted in not
implementing the council's deci
sion. "If the administration had
spent as much time implementing
the policy of council instead of try
ing to change it, then we might
have had the time to do a zero
based budget," he argued. As for
the complications brought about by
government changes, McBurney
said there are few changes for
1997. The big changes will be for
1998 and that's when the new bud
geting process is now scheduled to
be implemented. "How can we be
assured we won't get the same song
and dance in October?" he won
dered.
Lynn Murray, county clerk
administrator, said it normally
takes a year or more to implement
such a budgeting procedure. "If we
start right away we can have it for
October," she said. She said she
understood the province will begin
providing details of the funding
changes in the next few weeks.
Carol Mitchell, reeve of Clinton,
wondered why it had taken from
November to February for the con
cerns to be expressed to council
over the lack of time in preparing
the 1997 budget.
Mason Bailey, reeve of Bly th and
a member of the Administration,
Finance and Personnel Committee
said he wasn't very proud of the
committee's action in changing its
mind on the budget process. "We
accepted blindly the fact there was
n't enough time," he said, and since
then, he has had a lot of questions
raised. "We were very rushed and
undernourished when we made our
decisions," he said, referring to the
length of the committee meeting.
"We shouldn't be rushed into mak
ing our decisions. I hope we have a
lot more input into the budget in
the future."
McBurney asked what had
changed in the six weeks since the
Nov. 28 meeting that meant there
wasn't enough time to do the bud
get. Murray said the Dec. 12 meet
ing of the committee had asked
staff for a report on what the zero
based budget process was all about
and when they began to investigate,
they realized it was a bigger task
than anticipated.
Bill Clifford, reeve of Goderich,
and past warden, lashed out at
councillors who criticized the staff.
"I would be concerned with the
ramifications if you do not support
the motion. You've been told that it
can't be done.
"I think too big a thing has been
made over zero-based budgeting.
We have responsible people here.
We're not carrying programs that
are not of benefit to the people of
Huron County. I'm not even sure
that it (the budgeting process) will
work for 1998."
Bill Mickle, reeve of Exeter, was
upset that the policy of council
wasn't followed through. "It is a
sad commentary on the respect
shown for the elected representa
tives," he said.
Clifford struck back. "I'm tired of
the bashing of department heads
and administration in the last cou
ple of years. How can you expect
administrators and department
heads to keep working when they
continue to be bashed by a certain
segment of council."
The attack upset Tom Cunning
ham, reeve of Hullett. "As senior
person sitting on this council, in all
my time I don't think we have
reached such a low," he said. "It
wasn't a matter of bashing staff —
it was a matter of questioning that
staff wasn't following the direction
of council."
Cunningham supported the idea
of a zero-based budget for 1998,
especially with all the provincial
funding changes. "We are going
into uncharted waters."
In the end, council agreed to
forego a zero-based budget for
Grey Twp.
rejoins AMO
At the regular meeting of Grey
Township council held on Feb. 3,
Chief Building Official Grant
Anger presented his 1996 statistical
report. Sixty-eight permits for a
total value of $4,655,296 were
issued in 1996 compared to 54
permits with a total value of
$2,946,500 in 1995.
Council, after receiving a
telephone call from the executive
director of the Association of
Municipalities of Ontario
explaining the position of AMO
with respect to the recent
announcements by the province,
decided to renew its 1997
membership at a cost of $574.65.
Council instructed the clerk to
arrange a meeting with the AMO
president and executive director at
the upcoming ROMA convention
to allow council to make their
views known.
1997, but asked that the 1998 bud
get, using the zero-based process,
be ready by September so the cur
rent council can consider it before
the municipal elections in Novem
ber.
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