Mayor Peary feels that the wage raises negotiated by city workers in 2007 are responsible for “serious” financial issues in next year’s budget.

2007. Did city council and management just read this contract recently?

A labour contract sets out wage rates over the life of the contract; there are no surprises. The contract makes budgeting for wages over the life of the contract a simple matter of mathematics.

Or at least it does in those cities where they go through a proper budgeting process. As opposed to Abbotsford’s recent go through the motions to meet statutory requirements process to churn out Fudgets, rather than Budgets.

I suppose expecting council to actually put in the time to do a proper Budget for the next fiscal year and to adjust the 5 year budget to reflect reality would be the same as expecting council not to complain about the minor wage increase that those who actually do the work negotiated, while ignoring the massive raises given to the mayor, councillors and managers.

Speaking of wages …. We are now paying the mayor and city councillors the excessive wage raises they voted themselves. It seems to me that part of being on city council is to sit on committees. So why are we paying city councillors $thousands$ of dollars more each year for sitting on committees??

Hmmm … if we removed the $$$$ incentives for the proliferation of committees, not only would we save tens of thousands (hundred thousand plus?) of dollars but if council members were not running from committee to committee in order to maximize the extra dollars flowing into their pockets, councillors just might have time to accomplish such basic tasks as budgeting.

Because until council and staff take budgeting not as some rote exercise they do every year where they throw some numbers together and call it a budget, but as the planning and financial control process it is suppose to be, Abbotsford will lurch from “serious financial problem to “serious financial problem.

Giving Abbotsford City Council a two cents a litre gas tax will only permit council to continue to buy unneeded jungle gyms and fancy colour electronic billboards while complaining they are short of money for essentials such as roads and water.

Council needs to take a good look in the mirror and recognize it is not items such as the contract with city workers that has Abbotsford broke, but that it is council’s behaviour that is the “serious’ financial issue plaguing Abbotsford.

Council must stop looking for excuses and the easy way out (Tax! Tax! Tax!) and begin to act responsibly, working through the process and preparing a proper budget.