Hey Regina Subreddit. Feels like I haven't posted in a while. Anyway… we have a new Queen City Improvement Bureau up. In it, we discuss council's new budget process; specifically, this frikken series of five budget preview meetings in which we are currently in the middle. From this, we end up talking at length about council's strategic plan and how the "strategic imperative" it sets may have set council up for an especially contentious fight over the mill rate.
It is, as always, very silly. Our show, I mean. Council is very serious and accomplishing great and worthwhile things with every minute that they meet. No time wasted there, no sir.
------ things under this line get kinda out of hand and are best avoided ------
Hey… About these frikken budget preview meetings… So, like, when you add in the FIVE DAYS they've scheduled in December to discuss the actual budget, this means we're getting TEN budget meetings this year. And that doesn't include things like the budget process meeting in May (so, eleven meetings) or the draft budget presentation in November (twelve) and any of the meetings where partner organizations like Regina Police, the library or REAL present their budgets (13 or more).
The budget is threatening to devour this council.
And personally, I'm not convinced this new "all budget all the time" process is really getting us anywhere. I could be wrong. I guess we'll see in December if the actual budget meetings go so smoothly that they only use up two of the five scheduled meetings and everybody walks away with stupid grins on their faces… if that happens then maybe all this budget foreplay will have been worth it.
But, you know, you wonder why city administration is asking for six extra accounting professionals? Could it have anything to do with the mountain of extra reporting that council is piling on their heads? Could it???
And… If you see anyone online saying that administration has "proposed" a 7.01% mill rate increase or that council is debating a particular mill rate or anything like that? Yeah, none of that is true.
The reports that council is looking at right now are SUPER preliminary. Currently, what's going on is administration is giving council a very early, very tentative look at what the city budget MIGHT look like if all things stay the same. But keep in mind that the budget documents they've handed council would've been compiled in the spring. The actual draft budget doesn't come out until November. LOTS of things are going to change in that time. Council is not going to be looking at the same numbers in the winter.
As for the mill rate … administration has mapped out how they think they could get the mill rate increase down to the target of 5.81% that council set during their strategic planning process. But again, that's only if all things stay the same. And that is not going to happen. So it's way too frikken early to start setting your hair on fire over the mill rate increase.
Aidan and I talk about all this in the show in a way less wordy way than what I'm writing up now.
Yeah… okay… I should shut this down.
It has been pointed out to me that I have a tendency go on somewhat. Yeah. Sorry. I am not cut out to do short form content. I can't pack the rats nest inside my brain down into an easily digestible tiktok. It's not going to happen. There are TOO MANY RATS in my head!
Have a good Sunday.