Faced with a 4.1 per cent budget increase, council appears much more comfortable with the proposed operations budget.

Much of the increase is predetermined, as insurance rates, utility costs and wages make up most of the changes. One hopes the energy efficiency programs the town hopes to implement begins to eat away at such costs. It’s another argument for greater self reliance in terms of energy creation.

The cuts thus far will have an effect upon how the municipality is run. A proposed IT position may have garnered greater efficiencies down the road, resulting in less reliance on expensive contract work and greater work efficiency. The Environmental Services GIS position is currently being staffed by summer students – an arrangement which isn’t ideal, but is working and the communications position was never fully explained.

However faced with a downturn in the economy, council decided, rightly, these positions could wait.

Some new items are still in the budget. Social norms funding is still there, which will allow some research to continue on Patricia St. behaviour. For such work to be effective, multiple years of data are required. The fact that it’s still in the operations budget (as opposed to funding through grants) means council must remain committed to seeing the project through, and hoping the desired effect – less vandalism, public intoxication, etc – comes to fruition.

Victim services has also stayed in the budget. This is more a question of government downloading, as the office of the Solicitor General is threatening to reduce funding if the programs can’t find other revenue. Since the program helps us at our most vulnerable – following a traumatic event – it is certainly worth staying in the budget. Especially so in Jasper, where so many have moved away from personal support networks.

The decisions are prudent. Council did have other options.

The town of Banff stuck to a decision to pass a zero per cent increase in 2009. The decision caused a few staff members to jump ship, and the municipality is faced with even more difficult decisions this year.

Sticking to 6.3 per cent would have been a tough sell. As so many are cutting back, adding services at this time on the taxpayers dime would not have gone over well.

Because there has been a lack of public scrutiny in the budget process this year, council has an even greater duty to question administrative decisions. Mayor Richard Ireland and council don’t want to see reduced services, and the town has not issued many complaints about the services they receive. Be sure to discuss these services with your council.

Council is taking one final crack at the budget with the aim of making effective changes. Mayor Ireland said there’s no need to ‘make cuts for the sake of cuts.’ Such moves only serve to demoralize staff and erode service in other ways. In a $12 million budget, an extra $100 on stationary won’t break the budget.

There are still savings that could be had. Yet council must decide the true cost of those savings.