Bulk of consultants' budget used for 'unexpected events', hiked in 2013

Posted January 29, 2013

In 2012, council approved an overall budget of $119,500 for spending on consultants by various departments. The actual spent was $41,486, which in theory would have flowed $78,014, into the year-end surplus.

So when the proposed 2013 request for consultant services was listed at $134,500 or about $93,000 above last year's actual, Ward 3 councillor Paul Whiteside questioned whether it was an expenditure that could be targetted for reduction to keep chipping away at a proposed levy increase that hovers around eight per cent over last year.

The issue had been on hold for a couple weeks awaiting CAO Terri Caron's return, and last night, she explained in defence of the increase that while actuals were below projections, the funds themselves were redirected throughout the year, as "unexpected events" unfolded.

"We were balancing some other unexpected events that came up that drove other budget lines in departments higher," said Ms. Caron. "There were some staffing issues, there was the aerodrome that created unexpected work in research that we hadn't originally anticipated. So that work that was going to be done using that consulting money, such as strategic planning, we were going to do some policy work in terms of expense account forms, and so on, that one was held in abeyance to ensure the overall budget didn't go over. I think that looking at what happened in the actuals, there was a few unexpected, but Elizabeth Street (storm sewer break) was an example of the kind of area that something emerged that required consulting, so I would be requesting that that not be reduced."

Mr. Whiteside then suggested the budget request match the 2012 amount, which would have cut $15,000.

Ward 1 councillor Bob Marrs opposed any reduction, suggesting that if staff put it in the budget, then they must need it.

"We've hired what I think is a good staff. We hired staff that know what they're doing. If we find that you don't think they know what they're doing, then put that on the table," said Mr. Marrs. "In the meantime, they work very hard to try to put something together to the best of their knowledge with what they're going to need for this. If they wind up short, they can't do it because we cannot show a deficit. To be safe, they want that money in there and they know better what they're doing, working with it day to day. Our role here is to help them do their job as far as I'm concerned to make sure it's going in a basic way. But our job is more support for staff than trying to second guess them. And I don't think we could take away from that and say sure, we could have some wiggle room and take it down but they worked it out to what they think is the best thing."

"I wasn't questioning staff's ability or expertise," countered Mr. Whiteside, "it's just the differential between the actual and the budget, upsets me."

The money remains in the budget as presented.

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