Crowsnest Pass The real numbers!

Last week I wrote about the bungled discovery of a 5.23% assessment base drop six momths into the budget process. http://crowsnestpasshome.blogspot.ca/2013/04/incompetence-creates-opportunity.html

Today we have a special meeting of council to see administrations recommendations to solve the $295,000 shortfall. Administration brings backs three options:

Option 1 Spending cuts of $295,000 including eliminating $100,000 for the York Creek Lodge Reserve, $57,000 by shutting the Albert Stella Arena, $52,000 eliminating banners and the rest in smaller cuts.

Option 2 Spending cuts of $193,000 and $102,000 raised from additional mill rate increases beyond the 2.5% placed in the original tri annual budget

Option 3 Spending cuts of $193,000 and $102,000 coming out of reserves.

After the presentation of these options and the explanation behind each, Council asked a series of questions including a number of areas in the budget that had seen substantial increases from 2012 to 2013 (Councilor Saindon asked some very good questions). At this point administration requested some time to get the answers Mayor Decoux recessed for thirty minutes.
At 3:20 the meeting began again CAO Thompson supplied the answers to the previously asked questions. At this point Councilor Saindon raised a concern about himself and the CAO working with different numbers. After some banter back and forth between administration and Councilor Saindon it appears that Council and administration were working with different numbers. Everybody is scrambling, to which the CAO requests that this debate be carried on tomorrow at the G+P meeting. Council will be supplied with the real numbers tonight.  
First the Assessment base was of by 3.23% now nobody is working from the same page never had a real debate on which option to move forward with.