What are the steps to build the budget?

Each year, typically in late fall, the Municipality of North Perth begins working on our annual budget for the upcoming year. The Municipal budget process and concepts can be confusing. To help with this, we will be publishing the "Understanding Your Municipal Budget" column over the next few weeks on different budget topics and questions.

First, we need to understand what the budget is. The budget is North Perth's key financial planning tool that sets out our estimated expenses for the coming year, as well as the revenue sources to pay for those expenses. Simply put, it lays out what we expect we're going to do and how we hope we're going to pay for it.

Because the budget is important, we want to involve residents and taxpayers in making it. We created the Pre-Budget Survey in 2017 as a way to collect public input prior to the formal start of the budget process. Although survey participation has been limited, responses have provided Council and staff with some great information.

Next is the Budget Visioning Session. This happens in late fall and gives Council the opportunity to tell Municipal Department Heads what they'd like to see investigated and included in the upcoming budget.

Department Heads now examine their budgets for the following year, looking at requests from Council and estimating their expected revenues and expenses. The information is collected by the Director of Finance (the Municipality's Treasurer), and reviewed with the Chief Administrative Officer.

Draft operating and capital budgets are presented for each Department to the Budget Committee of Council (made up of all members of Council) through a series of Special Budget Committee Meetings. The Budget Committee considers the budgets presented and requests amendments where needed. You are welcome and encouraged to attend Special Budget Meetings to learn more about the deliberations. Meeting dates, agendas and minutes can be found at www.northperth.ca/budget.

Once a final draft Operating and Capital Budget has been developed by the Budget Committee, we hold a Budget Open House to collect feedback from the public and answer questions. This year's Budget Open House will be Wednesday, April 3rd from 5-8 pm in the North Perth Council Chambers.

When budget discussions are complete (and feedback received at the Open House considered), the Budget Committee will make a recommendation to North Perth Council to adopt the budget. The budget is formally approved by Council with the passing of a budget by-law.