The City of Courtenay has launched a new tool for citizens to provide feedback on Courtenay’s budget.

The “Citizen Budget” survey is available starting today (April 14) through the City’s website.

Tillie Manthey, the City’s director of financial services and deputy chief administrative officer, said the survey will allow the public to weigh in on expenses for various City operations.

“For this first year, we’ve set it up so respondents can rate their level of satisfaction with different budget categories,” advised Manthey. “It will give the public a chance to read descriptions of our services in a format that is much easier to understand than the traditional financial reports.” 

The full financial reports are also available on the City website for those that want to see more detailed information.

Operating budget categories include Protective Services (police, fire, bylaw enforcement, building inspections, emergency measures), Recreation, Parks and Culture, Water and Sewer Services, Transportation, and Waste Collection.

Respondents can also weigh in with their top five important issues facing the city.

If the Citizen Budget tool proves useful, the City will look into expanding it for the 2015 budget year. “We’d like to provide a tool in the future where citizens can simulate moving money around in the budget and see the implications of those choices,” said Manthey.

Council will use the results of the survey to gauge public satisfaction with the 2014 budget, and to help guide the budget planning process for 2015 and beyond.

The survey will be available until June 30.

For more information, or to access the survey, go to www.courtenay.ca  

Citizens wishing to provide formal feedback on the City’s 2014 - 2018 proposed financial plan prior to plan’s finalization in May are encouraged to view the detailed budget documents at www.courtenay.ca. Questions and comments should be sent to Tillie Manthey at tmanthey@courtenay.ca prior to April 25, 2014.