Council is aiming to complete the 2019 city budget before the year is done.
At their Sept. 10 meeting, council approved a set of timelines in which the budget will be finished.
“In essence this starts to lay out the groundwork for getting the budget completed before the end of 2018,” said Joe Day, the city’s administrator.
Councillors will begin having high-level talks about the budget as early as next week. By Nov. 19 the budget package is expected to ready for public input and by Dec. 10, the budget should be passed by council.
There could be a financial benefit to having the budget complete earlier.
“We’ve always talked about getting the tenders out in the off-season when things are slow,” said Rob Muench, Humboldt’s mayor, adding that contractors are more likely to charge more later as they know they have a solid season of work.
If council ends up feeling all of their questions about the budget aren’t answered in time to pass it by Dec. 10, there is room to slow the process down.
“If for any reason we felt that we’re going too fast and we need a bit more time, finishing up in January is not the end of the world,” Day said.
