text: Editorial: Don't delay release of preliminary budget | The Star Phoenix
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  City Manager Murray Totland says the delay strictly is an administration decision. Photo by Richard Marjan /The StarPhoenix
  The city administration's rationalization for delaying the public disclosure of Saskatoon's preliminary budget for 2017 until after October's civic election simply doesn't add up.
  When civic officials made the welcome and sensible move to release the preliminary budget earlier than usual last year, city manager Murray Totland explained that it was done to "provide more information, get the public more engaged and continue that interaction with council in a public forum over an extended period to time to let that debate occur, not only at council but in the community."
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  For Mr. Totland to now suggest that citizens, who will be choosing a new council in October, should wait until after the election to learn the potential budgetary impacts in 2017 of decisions made by the current council not only runs counter to the spirit of last year's push for greater public engagement in the process, but also hampers voters' ability to cast an informed ballot.
  Surely it serves the public interest to release the preliminary budget early in the fall, so that voters and candidates in the election campaign can better debate the issues and share ideas on improving Saskatoon.
  The city's chief financial officer, Kerry Tarasoff, has noted that the anticipated tax increase for 2017 already has risen to 4.2 per cent with existing spending commitments such as road repairs. Rather than have residents judge the performance of incumbent councillors and the mayor based on the 2016 budget they approved in December, as Mr. Totland suggests, it would useful to see what impact such things as the opening of the Remai Modern Gallery could have on the tax rate next year.
  If the concern is that tabling the document will allow the current council unfairly to influence the 2017 budget, which the new council will have to approve, can it not be posted to the city's website and released to the media to inform the public on what's potentially in store?
  City hall in May launched an online tool that allows people to provide input on next year's budget. It's meant to provide council and administration some insight into what residents think their money should be spent on. Without the preliminary budget being released prior to the election, how are voters to know if they've been heard?
  Citizens then can hear not only from the incumbents seeking re-election, but also from contenders who might want to change certain things, suggest different priorities or even propose additional services they think will be popular.
  It's better to debate and decide such things based on the latest information available, not on the basis of a budget approved eight months ago.