11. Early and Continuous Public Participation   

 

Public involvement throughout the budget process will be a key element of building the budget and consists of the following:

Early Consultation
Public Consultation will be held early in the budget process to gather community input, which will assist in building the budget. The framework & subject matter of the forum will be relatively consistent with what was offered in the past and focus on the following:

• Educate and inform the public regarding city services, the cost of those services, municipal issues and their relationship with property taxes; and
• Obtain input and feedback from the public with respect to the local services provided, community priorities, and options to address the challenge.

The event will be held at the Civic Center, which will be recorded and made available on the City’s website for viewing. To obtain additional feedback, a questionnaire will be developed and provided at both the forum and on the City’s website. The public forum and online content will be heavily promoted in various media sources at least three weeks in advance. Forum results will be reported to Budget Committee early in the budget process.

Continuing Opportunity for Input
In addition to the Budget Forum, Budget Committee meetings will begin in November and continue throughout the process. These are public meetings and they offer an opportunity for the community to provide input. All Budget Committee meeting recommendations are forwarded to Council, where the public can also provide input into the decision making process.

In addition to the above, the City of Vaughan is undertaking a number of strategic initiatives which incorporate significant public engagement. Although separate processes, public feedback obtained at these events will migrate into the budget decision making process.

Final Approval
In addition to these meetings, a Special Council meeting will be held to provide the public a final opportunity to comment on the Proposed 2010 Operating Budget. Illustrated below are the steps in the budget process that involve the public.

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