LAC LA BICHE - Lac La Biche County councillors began their 2024 budget discussions at a special council meeting on Thursday, Nov. 2. The meeting started the early talks about taxation, expenses, and economic development opportunities. While the discussions are important and affect all community members, the night before the meeting, a public open house on the budget — a chance for “wish-list” ideas from residents and businesses — drew only three residents.
Councillor Colette Borgun didn’t attend the open house herself, but she wished more business people had — since it’s in their best interests.
“I have a hard time going to the businesses and talking to them about their taxes when we had an open house last night to discuss the budget in Lac La Biche... I was in Edmonton so I couldn’t make it…but I hear administration telling me this morning that no one attended,” she said.
Coun. Charlyn Moore did attend the open house and said that only three residents took part.
“If the small businesses want compensation or something…just something…why were they not all at the budget open house?”
The few residents who did attend Wednesday night’s budget open house were given forms to fill out voicing any concerns they might have about the budget, but also what they would like to see in it.
More meetings, more open houses
By law, the County’s operational budget must be approved before Dec. 31. More open house opportunities are expected to be held in Lac La Biche and Plamondon in the coming weeks.
Manny Deol, the newly-hired CAO for Lac La Biche County, said open houses give residents a chance to discuss budget matters with council and administration as well provide their own input and ideas.
“Basically, it will be the first opportunity for the public consultation process…so the public can come here and say, ‘Hey, these are my ideas about what’s happening, what’s not happening, what should be in the budget, and what we want from the community,’” Deol explained.
The CAO said that input gathered at the open houses will help the County move forward with the budget process. He said in addition to giving community residents an opportunity to provide ideas and voice concerns, those who attend the open houses can also learn how the budget process works.
“People can say, ‘I don’t understand the budget, I’d like to know what the budget means,’” he stated. “Some people might say, ‘What am I getting for my taxes?’…so this is that opportunity to have a dialogue.”
More public engagement will continue outside of the budget process, says Deol, who is a strong advocate of face-to-face accountability. He says the municipality will host more community engagement sessions in the coming year on diverse topics that affect the community on a more frequent basis. Part of that engagement, he says could seem municipal representatives hosting informal talks in local subdivisions and neighbourboods.
Voice in the small crowd
Alex Broadbent was one of only a few local residents who attended Wednesday’s open house. Broadbent, a local farmer, and former municipal politician, says he is dismayed by the lack of support for infrastructure in the more rural areas of Lac La Biche County, something he made known to County officials who were present at the event.
“They’re spending it all in town instead of looking after rural area…that’s the biggest problem for me,” Broadbent stated, explaining that many roads in rural areas of Lac La Biche need to be paved or at least fixed up. “Other counties are paving roads in their county…here, we’ve done very little…and they need to do a lot more.”
Broadbent also expressed his concerns about the County spending money on projects that he says are unnecessary. The completion of the most recent phase of the $32.5 million Main Street project, he says the municipality has taken a perfectly good road and made it an obstacle course with sidewalk extensions and reduced parking.
“Main Street in town is a bloody disaster…anybody in a small town would love to have a wide street…and here, they screwed it up…big time, they screwed it up,” he said.
Coun. Kevin Pare stated that in the two full years he’s been a member of Lac La Biche County council, the budget open houses have never been well attended, something he would like to see changed.
“I know there’s a lot of people that care about the budget, and how the County spends its money…I’d like to see more people come here and voice their concerns…and this is their opportunity to do it,” he said, adding that he has encouraged residents who are able to come to the open houses.
Pare said while the budget is often a popular topic in coffee shop talk, many people still don’t attend the open houses, which he says, not only give residents a forum to express concerns or interests and have questions answered, but also to feel like they’re part of the decision-making process.
“To drive to town and voice your concerns is a lot different than talking in a coffee shop,” he continued.
Last year’s budget saw the council and administration discuss plans for approximately $77 million in revenues and $65 million in operating expenses. More than 80 per cent of the municipality’s tax revenues come from its industrial tax base.
Lac La Biche County council will be hosting more budget meetings next week from Nov. 14-17 in council chambers. The meetings are expected to continue into December.
