This year offers a smorgasbord of formats when it comes to town hall meetings to discuss St. Albert’s 2014 city budget.
Next week will see residents have a chance to give their two cents worth at one of three meetings.
On Nov. 13, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Bellerose Composite High School, there will be a traditional town hall.
Mayor Nolan Crouse said the traditional town hall format returns due to public input and some concerns about microphone access during the roundtable format. There were also some problems with acoustics in one of the locations, he said.
“Last year what happened was that there were a couple different experiments,” Crouse said. “Both (formats) have some positives and negatives.”
There will be a community round table format, however. That runs Nov. 14, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at St. Albert Catholic High School, with members of city council on hand.
Finally, new this year is an “e-town hall” meeting that will let residents ask questions between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 15 via the Internet. Resident questions will be answered live online, and questions can be sent in between Nov. 13 and 15 by emailing: [email protected] or tweeting @CityofStAlbert.
“That’s a brand new one. Quite frankly I’m not even sure how it’s going to work yet,” Crouse said.
He expects about 20 to 25 people will come out for each town hall, as that’s been the average during the ones he’s previously attended. The feedback will likely focus on not spending.
“That’s generally what we’re going to hear is don’t spend, and hold the line on spending and hold the line on capital,” Crouse said.
Public input does matter, Crouse said, and not just during the town halls. He said input heard throughout the year helps guide council’s decisions.
“The public input and that public pressure is what shapes a lot of what we’re doing,” Crouse said. “Where else would you get it if it’s not from the public?”
The live webcast of the traditional town hall and the e-town hall will be available on www.stalbert.ca/city-council-live.
Budget deliberations kick off Nov. 12 with a presentation by the city manager to council.
Budget review by department starts Nov. 26, and continues Nov. 28, Dec. 3, 5, 10 and 12. The budget’s expected to be approved Dec. 16, a news release from the city said.
For a full schedule of council’s budget meetings check www.stalbert.ca/budget2014. A city news release said the budget is set to be released to the public Nov. 13.
