The Shell Game-Municipal Finances 101

Back during the deliberations on the municipal  budget for 2011. It was determined that the need existed for more administrators in the municipal office so money was placed in the budget to fill those position. The organizational chart comes out with a Manager of Corporate Services in place. By April of 2012 the position is filled, by July the position is vacant so following a logic path one would assume that this being such a priority to have this position in place, that very quickly it would be filled. Well it was not now the shell game begins, in our case it’s called making the numbers work. This position was probably somewhere in the $70,000 a year range so the fact that it was only filled for three months now means that $55,000 of those dollars are available to help make the year end look good.

Monday night I go to the Municipal open house and part two of the shell game is played, despite the fact that this job was created by this council over a year ago and had such a high priority that it was only filled for three months. They now show the job has being eliminated which get this reflects as a $70,000 savings for the 2013 budget.

Then they show two CUPE positions being eliminated for an additional savings of $100,000 a year, a warehouse position and the additional HR clerk position they created not that long ago, why create positions to turn around and eliminate them?

The next shell game is beinging for this year they are showing $70,000 in wages and $10,000 in other costs for a Economic Development Officer to be put in place from May 1 to the end of the year. It is now Feb 12 does anybody believe that you are going to be able to find an Economic Development office by May 1? It is probably very unrealistic but again it will be money that can be shuffled from one shell to another for 2013.