Cobourg announces public 2020 budget meeting

By Cecilia Nasmith

Though 2020 is a few months away, Cobourg council has begun the process of preparing the town's 2020 operating and capital budgets – a process that includes a Sept. 16 open Public Budget Consultation Meeting.

The town's press release characterizes the event as an opportunity for citizens to share ideas on municipal service priorities and how they would like to see their tax dollars spent in the upcoming budget year in advance of council deliberations.

One option for this input is to attend the meeting and make a presentation (which is limited to 15 minutes in length). This can be arranged by contacting municipal clerk Brent Larmer at 905-372-4301 ext. 4401 or blarmer@cobourg.ca. Alternatively, input can be provided to Deputy Mayor Suzanne Seguin at sseguin@cobourg.ca.

The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. in council chambers, located on the third floor east at Victoria Hall (55 King St. W.). For those who cannot attend, the meeting will be streamed live on the town's You Tube channel (www.youtube.com/towncobourg).

A review of the municipal budget will begin in September, when each member of the management team reviews his or her respective department's preliminary budget numbers. The Budget Committee (consisting of Seguin, the chief administrative officer, deputy mayor and treasurer) then review the proposed budget and invite citizen feedback before a submission to council to review.

The budget review process will allow for more consultation on departmental budgets, with a week's time given to each for discussion.

For more information on the budget, visit www.cobourg.ca/budget or contact Ian Davey at idavey@cobourg.ca or 905-372-8944.