We asked about managing the City’s Finances. What did the candidates say?

Cheryl Hurst

Forecasting for future spending, when done with knowledge of the needs, past spending, current impacts, future projections can assist with making informed decisions. Knowing the current fixed or essential variable costs will guide priorities. Also understanding our community is changing and along with the needs of the community some of the historical costs and spending need review. Also looking at streamlining processes to remove excess waste within our city’s assets. Partnerships and utilizing organizations that bring knowledge and expertise can assist with funding challenges.

Katy Moore

I have 3 points on this

#1 new spending must be matched by new revenue. As council we need to be looking for ways to drive business investment into the city. There is no way that the property taxes can provide the money required to match our infastructure needs.

#2 Transparancy: residents need to know wat their tax dollars are paying for. If an increase is necesarry then an explaination for the cause is required.

#3 Service discipline: every dollar of spending should be tied to a measurable outcome with regular revies to ensure that the program is delivering value.

Kyle Hutton

As Councillor, I would adopt a ‘People First’ approach to the budget. Very simply, this means looking at city services and line items based not just on the obligation we have to provide them, but the actual usefulness of each. For example, its clear Burlington Transit is a necessity for many Burlingtonians, even with its flaws it remains a lifeline for people to travel, get to work or school, be with their families, etc. Meanwhile, funding for art installations or trips abroad to Europe may be nice, but they’re not necessities to help people get along in their daily lives. Its clear to me which of these needs to be cut when we’re aiming to keep the books balanced.

Tony Brecknock

Priorities should align with organizational strategic goals, evidence of impact, cost per pupil, and political support. Funding decisions rely on cost-benefit analysis and true program costs rather than historical spending. Limited resources require prioritizing initiatives that deliver the highest value to the community while eliminating lower-value services.

Chris Carter

My budget decisions would be guided by four principles: protect essential services, maintain what we already own, demand measurable value for new spending, and respect the taxpayer’s ability to pay. When funding is limited, I would prioritize public safety, infrastructure and state-of-good-repair, legislated responsibilities, and services residents rely on every day. New programs should have a clearly defined problem, cost, expected outcome and method of measuring success. I would also look at the full lifecycle cost of projects, not simply the initial price tag. Programs should not become permanent simply because they existed in last year’s budget. Council should regularly review whether they are still needed, whether another organization can deliver them better, and whether technology or process changes can reduce cost. Good budgeting requires choices, and Council should be prepared to explain those choices clearly.

Olivia Duke

Municipal government cannot fund every good idea, so setting priorities matters. My approach would begin with protecting core services, maintaining critical infrastructure and meeting the City’s legal and financial obligations.

From there, I would evaluate spending based on evidence: Who benefits? What problem are we solving? What outcomes are we achieving? Is there a more efficient way to deliver it? And what are the long-term costs of proceeding, delaying or saying no?

I would also distinguish between needs and wants. New initiatives should not automatically be layered onto existing spending without examining what we already fund and whether it continues to deliver value.

My business and public policy experience has taught me that responsible budgeting requires choices. When funding is limited, I would prioritize investments that protect essential services, address demonstrated community needs and provide measurable value for Burlington residents, while being prepared to defer lower-priority spending.

Paul Sharman

Municipal budgeting should start with strategy, not last year’s budget plus an increase. I ask four questions: What are we trying to accomplish? What services and investments are necessary? Are we delivering them efficiently? What can taxpayers reasonably afford? Essential services, public safety, infrastructure maintenance and legislated responsibilities must come first. Other projects should be evaluated against demonstrated community need, long-term benefit, affordability and measurable results. Burlington’s rolling five-year financial outlook helps Council understand the future consequences of today’s decisions and avoids pushing difficult choices into later years. We must also challenge major structural costs. Transit is a clear example. Rather than accepting a large annual operating deficit indefinitely, I want to redesign service to make it more useful and attract substantially more riders while improving efficiency. Sound budgeting protects today’s services without creating unaffordable obligations for tomorrow’s taxpayers.

Bianca Bielski

My budget decisions would be guided by a simple principle: taxpayers should receive the best possible value for every dollar spent. We need to protect the services residents rely on while making sure spending is responsible necessary. When funding is limited, I would prioritize projects and programs based on a few key questions: Is it essential? What benefit does it provide to residents? Is it addressing an immediate need or a long-term priority? What will happen if we delay it? And are there more cost-effective ways to achieve the same result?

I would give priority to core municipal responsibilities such as infrastructure, roads, public safety, parks and essential services, while carefully evaluating new initiatives and discretionary spending. I would also look for opportunities to improve efficiency and make better use of existing resources before asking taxpayers for more.

Having worked in the public sector throughout my career, I understand the importance of making difficult choices when resources are limited. Not every worthwhile project can be funded at the same time. Council’s responsibility is to set clear priorities, be transparent about those choices, and ensure that today’s decisions don’t create bigger financial pressures for taxpayers tomorrow.

Chris Bouchard

All councillors have a responsibility for the betterment to all wards not just their own, so there will always be competing interests with those financial limitations. The principles of collaboration and cooperation are crucial in determining which projects and programs will receive priority. Discussing the needs and wants of residents with other ward councillors should help establish common thread priorities that affect majority of residents and start creating a vision and budget that is indicative that truly addresses our citizen’s needs. We should start to see common thread issues that are lower priority and we can then determine if this is something the city should even be providing at no charge. The city has been stretched out thin taking on too many endeavors. We need to get back to having a united and comprehensive vision.

Frank Domenic

Burlington offers many programs which residents in Ward 6 and North Burlington don’t receive. When it comes to balancing a budget, the focus should be on fairness. If Ward 6 is paying for something, but not seeing the benefit of that, it should be considered for a cut or reduction before we look at programs and services that the entire city benefits from. A large portion of Ward 6 pays for leaf collection but doesn’t receive it. This is an expensive program. Do we expand it to every resident? Or do we consider the removal for budgeting purposes? These are the hard conversations we need to have.

Osob Adus

A municipal budget is a plan for spending residents’ money, and Council has a responsibility to make difficult choices when resources are limited.

My priorities would be essential services, public safety, infrastructure and obligations that protect Burlington’s long-term financial health. I would also consider urgency, community benefit, lifecycle costs and the consequences of delaying a project.

Before supporting significant spending, I would want clear answers: What problem are we solving?

What are the alternatives? What will it cost over the life of the project? What outcome will residents receive?

I also believe the Council should evaluate whether programs and projects are achieving the results they were intended to deliver.

Responsible financial management is not about saying “no” to everything. It is about knowing the facts, understanding the long-term consequences and ensuring every dollar delivers meaningful value for residents.

Rowen Fraser

Discussing exact criteria will be different for each decision. But the primary theme across all my decision-making in this process will be to ask a few basic questions. Firstly, what is the cost? Secondly, what utility or service is gained by spending this money? Thirdly, would the money be better spent paying down the debt?

We have been absolutely foolhardy in our deployment of financial resources here in Burlington. We need a responsible and fiscally minded council with a firm grasp on new technologies to help repair our reserves and get taxes out of the stratosphere.