Motion put forward by Klassen aims for greater transparency in budget process

PRINCE GEORGE — Prince George City Councillor Trudy Klassen has put forward a notice of motion that would see city staff provide a summary for each budget category representing more than 5% of the operating budget as a means for greater transparency.

Klassen’s rationale behind the motion, which will be discussed at the June 8 regular meeting of council, is that city council requires clear, comparable data on the relative value and efficiency of services to set budget priorities and meet community needs. She says that much of this data already exists internally and that presenting it in a standardized format is reasonable and essential for effective, evidence-based decision-making. Klassen’s motion says that each summary for a budget category must include metrics enabling Council to assess relative value, efficiency, utilization, community impact, year-over-year changes and strategic alignment, such as resident satisfaction, cost recovery ratios or cost per unit of service.

If passed, the motion would have staff add this to their work place and have it fully implemented no later than the 2027-2031 Financial Plan.

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