St. Catharines residents are being encouraged to provide input into the City’s first multi-year budget. To get involved, residents can participate by phone during a Telephone Town Hall, attend an in-person open house or pop-up kiosk, and provide feedback online through a survey starting on Nov. 24. Mayor Siscoe and the chair of the City’s Budget Standing Committee, Councillor Carlos Garcia, will be joined by City staff to answer questions about the draft operating budget during a Telephone Town Hall on Wednesday, Nov. 29 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. A Telephone Town Hall operates similarly to a radio call-in show, except instead of individuals calling in, the City will randomly call 30,000 St. Catharines’ households and ask residents to participate. Residents wishing to register in advance to participate in the call, or those who want to be removed from the list, should fill out the form found at stcatharines.ca/CallList. Registration closes on Tuesday, Nov. 28 at noon.
People will also be able to meet with the Budget Standing Committee and City staff to offer feedback in person at budget open houses on Tuesday, Nov. 28 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Seymour-Hannah Sports and Entertainment Centre at 240 St Paul Street West or on Thursday, Nov. 30 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at St. Catharines Kiwanis Aquatics Centre at 425 Carlton Street.
City staff will be hosting several interactive budget sessions at kiosks across the City throughout December, giving citizens another opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback on the budget and learn more about the process. Dates, times and locations for the pop-up kiosks and links to more information and feedback tools can be found at stcatharines.ca/Budget. This year the budget process will be a bit different under the new Strong Mayors legislation starting with a draft City staff-proposed budget followed by a Mayor’s proposed budget that will be released Jan. 3 for Council’s consideration. Residents can find the draft staff-proposed budget documents online at stcatharines.ca/CityBudget.
