The city has launched a new section on its website, www.stalbert.ca, for the 2009 operating and 2009-11 capital budget.
The page includes handy budget highlights for citizens who want to stay informed about civic spending as council deliberations continue over the next month.
The posted details obviously pale in comparison to the three-inch binders given to council, but there is some useful information available at the click of a mouse (for those who don't want to go to the library and pour through the budget documents).
Useful links to check out include "Projections for 2009-11," which gives a breakdown of tax increases and how that money will be spent.
There's also a "Three-year budget highlights" section that gives a listing of notable spending for some positions and operations.
Educational sections that aren't to be missed include, "Why do taxes increase faster than the inflation rate?" and the ever enjoyable, "How are tax rates set and collected?"
Some wonder about the logic in a heading like "Ongoing plan for no new debt."
This section informs how council in 2005 adopted debt-adverse practices. But then it goes on to say increased need for capital projects and lack of funding means the city has to consider new debt in the future (this section fails to mention the $8.5 million in borrowing proposed for the fire hall No. 1 rebuild, plus $1.9 million for stage three of Ray Gibbon Drive).
That doesn't sound like an ongoing plan for no new debt.
Anyway, the city's website will continue to expand with information as departments make their presentations to council. Last night (Tuesday), council heard presentations about their own council budget, the city manager's office, corporate communications, business and tourism development and common and fiscal.
I'll have more to say about budget day one later in the day Wednesday.
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