In an attempt to decrease a proposed four per cent tax increase in the 2010 municipal budget, the city's finance committee is considering the the city staff's proposal of cutting $120,000 of its professional development budget.
The proposal is part of $826,292 in cuts to the proposed city budget, which is not enough for at least one councillor.
“When we asked staff to go back last meeting and to take a look at professional development (spending), I did not expect them to come back with a 10 per cent reduction,” said Joe Cimino, Ward 1 coun.
“We have (a total of) $1.2 million in the budget for non-mandated (not required) professional development, which includes conferences out of town.”
Cimino said the city should follow in the footsteps of private corporations and cut professional development further.
“In these tough times around the world, in the private sector the first area of their budget that they look at is cutting their discretionary costs,” Cimino said.
“One of those discretionary costs is professional development. Why should we, as a corporation, even though we are a public corporation, not follow suit and save money in those areas?”
Most importantly, these cuts will not affect public service, according to the Ward 1 coun.
“(Cuts) in these areas will not result in cutting services to the public. Discretionary costs can be cut without the public feeling any negativity from it.”
Council has not voted on the base budget reduction option yet, but are expected to in the coming weeks, as budget deliberations are nearing an end.
