By Randy Hatfield
Saint John city council recently approved its operating budget for 2012. It reduced or eliminated funding to a number of community based organizations. With an election set for May, there was no appetite for a tax increase. Faced with a revenue squeeze – an unresolved issue is how much and how fast the City must pay down its unfunded pension liability – the City chose to reduce funding to budget items ranging from police to animal control. The “Plan B” budget is found here, starting at p 18.
HDC Executive Director Randy Hatfield was interviewed on the local CBC radio morning show on the impact of these cuts to community based organizations. The interview is found here.