Changes are coming to the way that the Municipality of Kincardine will be handling budget deliberations.
The changes come with the implementation of Strong Mayor powers, which the province put into effect on May 1st.
The new legislation says that by February 1st of each year, the mayor is to prepare a proposed budget and provide it to each member of council and the clerk, as well as make it available to the public.
Mayor Kenneth Craig explained to council during Wednesday’s meeting that discussions would be possible well before February, if any councillor were to ask for an update in the fall, for example.
“You will have conversations with myself to make sure that you know if there’s any significant changes. We all have our areas of interest, and you ask me the question of ‘where are we with this?’ I will refer you to where staff and I are at in that [topic],” he explained to council.
After that point, council will be able to propose amendments. After that point, the mayor may accept or veto the proposed amendments. Council then will have a turn to override a veto made by the mayor.
“There’s not even a budget vote anymore. It’s just acceptance or veto of amendments.”
If no amendments are made, or if 2/3 of council agrees on a particular amendment, the item gets automatically added to the budget.
Unlike the current process, a final vote on the amended budget is not required. The budget is deemed passively adopted once the process is complete following any proposed amendments, vetoes, or override of such vetoes. Amendments that are passed by Council and not vetoed by the Mayor are included in the Municipality’s budget.
