Although the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion's budget was adopted unanimously, independent councillors Jasmine Sharma, Karine Lechasseur and Diane Morin are questioning the budget analysis process and would like to see more involvement from elected officials.

Even though they are aware of the work carried out by civil servants, the councillors find it hard to explain the fact that council members have little involvement in budget discussions.

"Before, each department was received individually and there were discussions about what needed to be cut, or special projects. This year, we didn't get that chance. We had a half-day meeting with everyone, and the budget came to us very well worked out. We didn't really have to get involved as a council," explained Councillor Diane Morin at the December 11 meeting. 

"I'd like us to be able to sit down with the various departments upstream to discuss and give our ideas," she added, while calling for the Finance Committee to be re-established in 2024 and for pre-budget consultations to be organized "in order to find out the population's priorities and follow up on the Town's strategic planning, and this, upstream of budget preparation."

"We should review the entire process, starting early in the spring with an analysis of the previous year's financial statements, and then schedule statutory meetings to reflect, with all departments, on the organization's priorities," hinted Diane Morin.

For her part, Karine Lechasseur deplores a lack of "culture of discussion" around the board table. "It would be interesting to have more discussion, at least to find out where our colleagues want to go...I think it's with a positive outlook that we could improve the way things are done," she said, adding that she had felt a certain amount of pressure from her peers.

For his part, Vaudreuil-Dorion mayor Guy Pilon feels that the discussions were sufficient. "There weren't many discussions because there were no big projects, no increases, no major commitments because we don't have any money. Mr. Van Neste - the general director - did an excellent job with his various teams... The discussions were very straightforward. We've had some good years, and we've made the most of them. In 2024, we're going to stabilize the machine."

Getting projects back on track

For Jasmine Sharma, it is imperative to prioritize the projects that have been put off. In particular, she proposes using part of the funds earmarked for the Circus Festival to get these projects off the ground.

In January 2024, Vaudreuil-Dorion's Service des loisirs et de la culture will begin a major reflection on the future of the Circus Festival.

"If we want to invest more in certain projects, before thinking about entertainment activities, I think we should prioritize projects that have either been pushed back a year or set aside for the time being. It's projects like these that will allow us to move things forward and maintain an acceptable level of service for our citizens," she expressed.

Among the projects that Ms. Sharma wishes to prioritize are the implementation of the Environmental Policy and the climate change adaptation plan, the contract for urban forest and horticultural maintenance, the digitization of City documents and the maintenance of water service equipment.

"I remain optimistic that Council will be open to prioritizing these projects when we hold discussions early in the year to see how we can streamline the programming of the Vaudreuil-Dorion Circus Festival," she concludes.

À lire également

Des changements à venir pour le Festival de cirque de Vaudreuil-Dorion 

Budget: une légère hausse de taxes à Vaudreuil-Dorion 

Taxes municipales: une hausse de 2.86% pour L'Île-Perrot