Season's Greetings
Having given tentative (but not final) approval to the 2023 budget, Council is now joining others in taking a break over the Christmas season. We will resume meeting in the New Year on January 9 for a Governance and Priorities Committee, then a regular Council meeting on Monday, January 16. In the meantime, let me offer my very best wishes to everyone for a happy Christmas season. Let's hope that the New Year ahead will bring good health and happiness, and be a little less
Budget Blues
The past couple of weeks have been full ones for the new Council, as we have been deeply involved in the budget process for the coming year. My stated goal was to hold the line on taxes as much as possible, and I feel badly that the proposed increase is more than I had hoped. The budget is not finalized, but at this point we are looking at a 6.2% increase just to maintain service levels due to the high rate of inflation (which affects costs for the City just as it does for