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Navigating the 2011 Budget
This morning, Rob Ford’s administration will unveil the draft budget documents for 2011. Debate—in the budget committee, at the various agencies (like the Toronto Police Service) whose budgets are part of the larger City budget, at public meetings, and in the media—will take place over the next few weeks, with the deciding vote taking place at a special meeting of the city council in February. Here’s an overview of what’s in store.
The Debate
Ford has said, repeatedly, that in 2011 the City will hold the line: property taxes will be frozen at current levels, and there will be no “major” service cuts. In other words: we’re going to maintain the status quo. (Much more significant changes are anticipated for the 2012 budget). Debate about the budget—as we’ve seen already with disputes over police funding—is going to be be a matter of deciding what, exactly, the status quo amounts to.Here’s the problem with the scenario as Ford has described it: you cannot provide the same level of service in 2011 as you did in 2010, for the same price you did in 2010.
This is impossible for both economic and legal reasons. Inflation means that the cost of purchasing goods from vendors has gone up, and already-signed contracts with various bargaining units mean that labour costs are going up. These are not factors over which the City has any control: they must be accounted for, one way or another.
So the struggle—as a matter of both policy and rhetoric—will be in deciding what holding the line means. Is it primarily a fiscal imperative (in which case at least some service cuts will be required in order to ensure we don’t spend more in 2011 than we did in 2010)? Or is it primarily a service imperative (in which case we need to find new ways to pay in 2011 for all the things we had in 2010)? Expect people on both sides of the debate to protest, pseudo-innocently, that they are simply doing as instructed and “maintaining the status quo.”
The Process
Today the broad strokes of the budget—which is actually four budgets (operating, capital, water services, and waste management)—will be outlined in a meeting of the Budget Committee, and the full draft of each document will be released. Members of the media will receive a technical briefing, and by this evening the general shape of the budget and Ford’s approach to it will be clearer.The Budget Committee will then meet every remaining day this week, to discuss different elements of the budget in detail. Members of the public are free to attend these meetings, but will not be able to speak at them.
- Tuesday is the first of two days devoted to “citizen-centred services”—specifically the ones that fall into what is termed “Cluster A” (roughly, the so-called soft services). Among them: housing (including the Affordable House Office, shelters, and long-term care facilities); children’s services; parks; employment and social services; economic development and culture; social development; and community partnerships.
- Wednesday continues the discussion of citizen-centred services—this time focussing on “Cluster B” or hard services. Among these: planning (including the waterfront); fire services; transportation services; the building division; and several related agencies (including the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and Heritage Toronto).
- Thursday the conversation shifts to internal services, such as facilities management; information and technology; legal services; and the accountability offices (auditor general, integrity commissioner, lobbyist registrar, and ombudsman). The budgets of two major agencies—Toronto Public Health and the Toronto Public Library—will also be discussed.
- Friday‘s agenda is devoted to some of the remaining key agencies, including the Association of Community Centres, Arena Boards of Management, the Toronto Police Service, and the Toronto Transit Commission.
How to Participate
If you’d like to express your view on any aspect of the budget, you can do so by attending one of the four community meetings that have been set up for this purpose. Various members of the Budget Committee will attend each of these meetings, but there will be no meeting at which members of the public will have the opportunity to address the Budget Committee in its entirety.Note: if you want to be assured the opportunity to speak, you must notify the City Clerk’s office: call (416) 392-1032 or (416) 397-7768, or e-mail [email protected] no later than 12 p.m. on Tuesday, January 18, indicating your preferred date and location. Each speaker is limited to five minutes and all speakers on the speakers list will be given the chance to make their presentations. (This means that the meetings may run very late into the night.)
- Toronto and East York Public Consultation
East York Civic Centre
850 Coxwell Avenue
Wednesday, January 19; 6 p.m. - North York Public Consultation
North York Civic Centre
5100 Yonge Street
Wednesday, January 19; 6 p.m. - Etobicoke and York Public Consultation
York Civic Centre
2700 Eglinton Avenue West
Thursday, January 20; 6 p.m. - Scarborough Public Consultation
Scarborough Civic Centre
150 Borough Drive
Thursday, January 20; 6 p.m.
If you are unable to attend any of the public meetings, or would like additional chances to express your views on the budget, your best bet is to contact your city councillor.