By Liam Verster

Budget 2021

City invites public feedback on upcoming budget through online tool

Sep 30, 2020 | 12:53 PM

The City of Grande Prairie has launched a new engagement tool to gather public feedback on how money should be allocated in the 2021 budget.

The Balancing Act tool, which can be accessed through the City of Grande Prairie’s website, allows users to better learn how the City’s operating budget is allocated, and allow users to prioritize spending and create a budget of their own.

Participants can also submit their balanced budgets, as well as comments or suggestions to the City through this tool. That information could help Council and City Administration shape the budget that will be deliberated on in November.

Mayor Bill Given says this tool is quite interesting, and can provide residents of the city with some more information on how their money is spent, and the intricacies and challenges of balancing a budget while keeping taxes low.

“I hope that these types of tools help people better understand what the core costs are that the City faces, and how so many of those costs are actually pretty fixed and very challenging to reduce. Or, how they are at least ones that most members of the public wouldn’t want us to reduce.

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“Labour makes up the majority of the cost for the City of Grande Prairie, and within that, the expense and costs of our police and fire services make up the vast majority of our operational budget.”

Given says he believes that once people see how the money is allocated, they can form a greater understanding of just how and why the budget is set.

He does encourage everyone to use the Balancing Act Tool, and try their hand at balancing a budget.

“Playing around with these tools is actually just a lot of fun, and everyone should get a chance to see how they would do as a City Council member trying to do a budget and what their impact would be on property taxes.”

The Balancing Act tool is available to use until October 13.

City Administration has already been directed to come up with a budget for 2021 that has a tax increase ranging between zero and 2.5 per cent.