A budget is “a plan of action expressed in numbers”, asSaint John City Manager Pat Woods puts it – and common council is making its plan for the coming year. There are several contentious areas, including transit, fire, grants, and policing, where decisions still need to be made under the gun.
Mayor Mel Norton says council is concerned with trying to be fair to all citizens – and that means the budget process will be a time-consuming one.
The need for speed relates to upcoming collective agreement negotiations, and needing to plan bus routes for 2015.
The mayor says the operating budget will likely be done in the new year, but the capital budget will likely be passed before Christmas.
