The exterior of Saint John City Hall is pictured in this file photo. (Staff photo)
Think you can do a better job of managing the city’s budget? Now’s your chance to try!
The city has launched a budget simulator on their website. It allows you to raise taxes, cut services and more.
The goal is to balance the budget, and with every choice having a consequence, decision-making can be difficult.
Owner of the Feel Good Store Anne McShane says it’s a good way to educate residents.
“If we have to have these hard discussions, if we have to start talking about big revenue generating ideas or big cuts or where they’re going to happen, or service challenges, we all have to kind of start on the same page,” she said.
McShane says the simulator was an eye opening experience, and involved a lot of tough decisions.
“You’re forced to make really really brutal decisions, which you don’t feel good about at all. So it certainly gives you a new appreciation for the work around that horseshoe when they make some of these decisions.”
She says it was hard to make cuts, but after spending a lot of time on it, she realized it was necessary to create not only a balanced budget, but a balanced city.
“You still need things that are incentives to grow, that makes people appreciate the livability of an area, but you have to make sure your city is safe and the raw necessities are taken care of,” said McShane.
According to the city’s website, Saint John will face a $12 million shortfall in 2021. The City aims to reduce this shortfall by $3 million by the end of 2020, leaving a $9 million shortfall to address.
“I think that what we invest in is not always well understood by folks,” said Mayor Don Darling during a council meeting Monday.
“Getting people to engage with the numbers is never easy so I think this is going to be one of those tools that is going to be excellent.”
The feedback and data from the simulator will help inform and develop the city’s first Long-term Financial Plan for the next ten years.
