By Brian Publicover
The City of Ottawa is missing the boat with its new approach to the preparation of the 1998 municipal budget by failing to consult Ottawa’s business community.
Building the Budget ‘98 is a new program seeking public input on the upcoming budget. Workshops will be used as a tool to discern what taxpayers feel demands immediate attention. Participants will be provided with an opportunity to tell their elected representatives how municipal dollars should be spent.
A series of exercises will ask respondents to make certain decisions and rank them according to level of importance. Councillors will provide a synopsis of the results to council in time to finalize the budget by May.