The town of Sylvan Lake is once again asking for residents’ opinions when it comes to how the town spends its money.
“There are so many great things to be able to put dollars towards, and that’s why we have the survey,” said Sylvan Lake Mayor Megan Hanson, adding the town has offered a survey for as long as she can remember.
“This year, there’s been quite a strong uptick so far in responses, almost the same so far as we received in total last year,” she said. “But we are always looking for more input. Nov. 18 is when we’re hoping to have all of the feedback in and then we can start the budget deliberations the next week.”
As part of the budget deliberations, Hanson said the town takes into consideration the answers in the surveys and each town department also makes a presentation. And then town council plans a day in late December or early January to discuss the budget and form a plan.
“In January, we hope to have something to show,” said Hanson. “We do an open house in January to receive feedback on where we think we’re landing and then we make the final decision after that.”
Hanson said the ideal time for input is before deliberations begin.
There is a paper version of the survey available at the NexSource Centre and the community centre, or residents can fill out the survey online.
“For us, budget is the most important thing we do all year,” said Hanson. “It sets the tone for the next year and the best way to do that is to follow the direction the residents want to see. We’re not doing our job if we’ve missed a really glowing part or we’ve gone in a direction the community has no interest in.”
