Well, it’s budget time again! Just got back from a breakfast forum put on by Global Public Affairs at the National Club entitled “Toronto’s Budget: Priorities for 2010” – it was covering the city of Toronto capital budget (the 10-year capital plan totals over $16 billion – http://www.toronto.ca/budget2010/index.htm). Councillor and Budget Chair Shelley Carroll described the budget process and the public consultations that are now underway to get input. They call this “the easy budget” – the operating budget will be the hard one (February, 2010).

A Markham Municipal staff described their zero tax policy – but that it may change in the coming years. The Markham staff person described the Toronto budget as a bellwether for most Municipalities. Bill Davis reminded everyone that wherever the $ seem to come from, they in fact all originate with the same tax payer. I found the debate interesting, and the challenges from Board of Trade on the flaws of the budget process and consultation, as well as the challenges and thoughts on how to raise funds (Peter Kuitenbrouwer of the National Post suggested some ways of raising funds – like selling Metro Hall). It made me think about how reactive budgets can be – Carroll wants to tie the city’s funds to the economy more closely so that as the economy grows, so do the funds. Others commented that this can be flawed in tough times. Either way, this budget is going forward and really is only representative of what is actually done with the money to make a sustainable and prosperous city.

And as I go into my own departmental budgeting process, I gain a new insight into the context in which I work. Social housing budgets are notoriously tight and constrained. To help with managing these dollars, SHSC has tried to provide insight into specific ways in which social housing as a sector can become more efficient and effective. Affordable Housing in Perilous Times is concerned with the framework of spending decisions, regulatory requirements, and housing programs which shape the production of new affordable housing and which protect the existing housing stock, both private and social. Check it out on our website under the SHSC Research section. Stay tuned for more thoughts on budgeting and how and what we do with the funds that fuel our communities.