i think the most important thing the city can do is spend less in things it does not need to spend. Like increasing wages and increasing city employees.
You can mix in new taxes as well but that should easily a cut around 100 or so million easily or even more.
Now I'm not sure about what I'm saying here --it's only just a sense I'm getting from about a year's of intense observation of a GTA municipal council.
But I agree with Lordmandeep on this. If investigators could really get into the municipalities, I suspect there'd be tons of saving if the focus was Employees.
I'm convinced that a mayor and councillors have very little understanding of where money goes --and leaks. The larger the city-corporation, the less they can keep track.
It's Employees/Staff who prepare the budget, not mayor and council. And given that some of the senior staff make nice salaries, perks and ultimately pensions, it's in their interest to ...well, it's in their interests.
Last municipal election, given the low voter turnout, I'd love to find out WHO of the dismal 20-25% vote. Like what percent of voters are municipal employees themselves. Or spouse, voting age children.
And how many others voters are somehow tapped into the $$$$ and so motivated to keeping things just as they are.
Given the low voter turnout, it's not in the interest of a councillor who represents a ward to tick off the city employees. Even if the entire staff have limited people voting in a certain ward, employees could campaign against a "pesky rock the boat" councillor en masse.
We'll never know of course because it's not possible to get that kind of voter demographic info. But I'd put up a thousand U.S. that citizens are payin' in more ways than one by avoiding the voter's booth.
It's in the interest of staff to keep an employee empire going. And if knowledge is power --it's staff who've got the knowledge, they're the ones writing the Corporate Reports that get handed off to Mayor and Councillors.
I'm at a point where I even wonder if the councillor staff are working for the councillor --or-- answer to the city manager.
Speaking of which... certainly in the municipality that I am researching the City Manager is the second most powerful person in the organization.
Councillors? They're low on the Corporate Pole. Plus --
Not only do they know what side of the bread the butter's on, few have the courage to bite the hand that feeds.