North Battleford residents will get their first public look this month at the spending and service decisions that will shape the city’s 2027 budget.
The process begins Oct. 19 at 4:45 p.m. with third-party grant requests from community organizations, followed by the city’s main budget deliberations in November.
Mayor Kelli Hawtin said council will hear directly from city departments about their needs and priorities for the coming year.
“We’ll hear where the pressures are. We’ll hear where some opportunities are,” Hawtin said
Administration is expected to present operating and capital requests, along with options to increase or reduce service levels based on direction council has provided over the course of the year.
Special planning committee meetings are scheduled for Nov. 19, Nov. 26 and Nov. 30, all beginning at 4:45 p.m. A Dec. 3 meeting is also tentatively scheduled if additional deliberation is needed.
Council is tentatively scheduled to consider approval of the 2027 budget at its Dec. 7 meeting, which begins at 6 p.m.
Candace Toma, the city’s public and intergovernmental relations co-ordinator ,said making the discussions public allows residents to hear both what administration is proposing and what council is considering.
“It should be noted, too, that that’s not the case in every municipality. This one is kind of unique in that way,” Toma stated.
“We’re happy to do it in front of not only the media, but also members of the public as well.”
All of the budget meetings are open to the public in person at the Don Ross Council Chamber or through Zoom.
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