Re: “Victoria seeks budget tips,” Jan. 19.

I recently attended a budget consultation session held at the Central Library, and was pleased to see the mayor and many councillors engaging in a lengthy discussion with participants on the nuances and intricacies of budget planning.

Kudos to Mayor Dean Fortin and the council for presenting some tangible ways of controlling budget growth and ensuring they stick to their three-year goal of keeping tax increases below 3.25 per cent.

Nobody likes tax increases, but we also hate reductions to services. A three-year planning cycle will ensure we aren’t making short-term fixes that may ultimately come to harm us down the road.

I don’t recall the last time I saw another municipality seeking such a level of input in budgeting.

Edward Pullman

Victoria

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