Northumberland 89.7 FM

View Original

Cobourg invites public engagement on 2023 budget

By Cecilia Nasmith

The Town of Cobourg is inviting feedback from members of the public as it finalizes its 2023 budget.

“Each year, the Town of Cobourg undergoes an annual budget process to align the financial resources required to provide the programs and services that establish the high quality of life we enjoy in our community,” the announcement said.

With input from municipal staff on their own departments, the budget is presented to council annually by the treasurer for review and deliberation prior to final approval.

As staff begin to compile the 2023 draft budget, the town has launched the 2023 Operating and Capital Budget Community Engagement project that allows taxpayers to help identify budget priorities for the coming year.

The project has two components.

Phase One – Preliminary Engagement

A preliminary survey will be launched to provide insight from taxpayers on the programs and service they value most, the level of satisfaction in service delivery and the issues they believe are most important at this time. Survey results will be presented to council in January, prior to the Divisional Budget Staff Presentation meetings, where these findings will inform council's decisions.

Phase Two – Feedback on the Draft 2023 Budget

A secondary survey will be circulated following the presentation of the draft budget to offer taxpayers the opportunity to weigh in on the capital projects identified by staff in their draft budgets.

You can follow updates on Engage Cobourg and visit the town's dedicated 2023 budget webpage to learn more about how the town determines its annual budget.

Cobourg also encourages residents of the town to register on Engage Cobourg to create an on-line profile and participate in current public-engagement projects. To register for this on-line public-engagement platform, visit engagecobourg.ca and click on the Register Today! button.

For questions (or help registering), e-mail communications@cobourg.ca