Safe 性视界传媒 Coalition shot down a motion that would have given 性视界传媒 residents 10 business days to review the city鈥檚 Five-Year (2022-2026) Financial Plan before its expected approval.

The budget was released late Friday (Dec. 17), and council will be holding a finance committee meeting on Wednesday (Dec. 22) at 11 a.m. to discuss it.

Coun. Brenda Locke, who brought forward the motion to extend the consultation period to 10 business days, told council the quick turnaround is unfair to businesses and residents that are impacted by the budget.

鈥淚 think that it is highly disrespectful that we only gave two working days for the public to take a look at the budget this year,鈥� Locke said to council. 鈥淚 think that the public would like more time to consider the budget, especially this year鈥� It鈥檚 a big election budget and it matters to people. I think we need to, and we should be, holding steadfast with what we鈥檝e done in the past years.鈥�

SEE ALSO: 性视界传媒 releases 2022 budget days before consultation, vote

Couns. Jack Hundial, Linda Annis and Steven Pettigrew echoed Locke in that they wanted to give residents more time to digest the budget.

Speaking to Locke鈥檚 motion, SSC Coun. Allison Patton said she was 鈥渙ffended.鈥�

鈥淚 find it highly offensive that two of the councillors complaining about this issue were, in my opinion, the cause of us not necessarily as cohesively arranging our time-frame as we like to have our standard for our A+ rating,鈥� Patton said to council. 鈥淎nd personally, I find it offensive that they called into question the process that we have been running the last three years in order to be ready strategically for our budget. And I still am offended at that. So they have to live with that.鈥�

Locke addressed Patton鈥檚 comment.

鈥淚n terms of offending anybody, you know that this is not the place for talking about who鈥檚 offended and who is not. I can tell you that鈥檚 not what this chamber is for,鈥� Locke said.

Coun. Laurie Guerra, of SSC, said she won鈥檛 be supporting Locke鈥檚 motion.

鈥淚 find it very disingenuous that members of this council are critical when the budget wasn鈥檛 coming out on time, and now that it is coming out and we鈥檙e ready to deal with it, I鈥檓 very supportive that we are bringing it forward,鈥� Guerra said, adding there wasn鈥檛 a huge change in terms of a tax increase.

Hundial noted that 2021 has been a difficult year for business owners and they are directly impacted by taxes.

SEE ALSO: Here are some highlights in the city鈥檚 budget

鈥淲e have not given enough time, what people would normally expect in a budget cycle. Certainly there was no warning for this,鈥� Hundial said.

Coun. Annis said challenges are amplified by the busy holiday season.

鈥淧eople were caught off guard by it and haven鈥檛 had time or the opportunity to be able to review it,鈥� Annis said to council.

McCallum, who referred to the budget as 鈥渙ne of the best, if not the best budgets of any big city in Canada,鈥� said there was 鈥渉uge public consultation鈥� throughout the year.

The mayor took issue with 鈥渁 number鈥� of councillors that didn鈥檛 attend two finance committee meetings.

鈥淚鈥檓 not going to name them. They know who they are,鈥� McCallum said. 鈥淏ut when we have a finance committee meeting to do with the budget, I expect all councillors to be at those meetings.鈥�

SEE ALSO: 性视界传媒 residents riled over tax increases

In a news release last week, the city touted that 鈥渇or the fourth consecutive year, the proposed average property tax rate has been set at 2.9%鈥�

But earlier this year, many residents and businesses were shocked to find out their property tax hike was far greater than the promise 2.9 per cent.

Amber Stowe, the city鈥檚 communications and media relations lead, couldn鈥檛 confirm if there would be a council meeting on Dec. 24. She said council will set the next meeting date on during Wednesday鈥檚 finance committee meeting.

However, on the city鈥檚 website, it lists a meeting on Dec. 24 at 10 a.m.

To review highlights of the budget, click here.