Cape Breton municipality to consult public on budget well before winter

After two brutal winters, staff with the Cape Breton Regional Municipality have decided to move the annual public budget consultations ahead by several months to this fall.

The public sessions are normally scheduled for early March and are held at various locations around the municipality.

In the last two years, however, multiple blizzards and heavy ice on roads and sidewalks kept most people tucked in at home. Turnout to meetings was low or meetings had to be cancelled, some more than once.

"There's a lot of seniors who find it difficult to get around during the winter months," said District 8 Coun. Kevin Saccary, whose district is largely rural.

"The issues there are certainly helped by us having public meetings during good weather."

Deputy mayor George MacDonald agreed.

"If they start the process early, we hope to get a bigger group this year," he said.

"Keep in mind, it's pre-election and it's the last year of our mandate, so I think we're going to find a little more interest."

Marie Walsh, the chief financial officer of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, said those doing the budgeting want to know what's important to ratepayers.

"It's their tax dollars, and we just need to know that their priorities are our priorities," she said.

Walsh said the timing of the talks is not the only change.

"This year, we'll probably change it up a bit and focus on economic development and the goals we have on a go-forward basis," she explained.

"We're going to be looking at some presentations on port development and rail, on our downtown development projects and probably give the public an update on the partnership agreement with the province."

A list of meetings dates and locations will be posted this week. The first meeting will be held in early November.