Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jan 13/06) - A property tax hike hasn't stopped city council from contemplating a travel bill that would put them nearly $6,000 over budget this year.

TRAVEL SCHEDULE Arctic Winter Games - passing the Flag, Kenai, Alaska, March 4-10: Mayor Gord Van Tighem - Cost: $2,967 Federation of Canadian Municipalities AGM, Montreal, Quebec, June 2-5: Mayor, Couns. Bob Brooks, Dave McCann, Mark Heyck, Doug Witty, and Kevin O'Reilly - Cost: $17,726 Meet the North, Edmonton, May 7-10: Mayor, Coun. Blake Lyons - Cost: $4,863 Canadian Capital Cities, St. John's, Nfld., August: Mayor - Cost: $3,109 NWT Association of Communities, Fort Liard, June: Mayor, Couns. McCann, Brooks, Heyck, and Alan Woytuik - Cost: $12,212 NWT Business Coalition (location not determined): Mayor - Cost: $2,000 (estimated) Northern Forum, (location to be determined): Mayor - No cost Sustainable Communities, Ottawa, Feb. 2-4: O'Reilly - Cost: $3,857 Northwest Corridor Development Corp., Terrace, B.C., October: Mayor - Cost: $2,218

Council's estimated travel bill for 10 conferences and events this year is $49,500 - up from their original budget of $43,650. Last year, council attended seven conferences, and spent about $45,000.

Coun. Doug Witty doesn't like the optics and plans to vote against some of the trips.

One trip for the mayor and five councillors to attend the NWT Association of Communities annual general meeting in Fort Liard next June is expected to cost $12,000.

"I said it last year, I think council needs to lead by example and meet the budget," said Witty.

"The debate is not over yet, I can assure you that."

One meeting - the Cordilleran mining industry conference - has already been scrapped.

Couns. Alan Woytuik and Blake Lyons - who've both attended the conference - said it was a waste of time. If council had decided to keep the conference in their schedule the budget would've come in at $52,565.

Witty said part of the problem this year is that the travel budget was set before costs of the trips were calculated.

Coun. Wendy Bisaro said travel typically starts off over budget and is whittled down over the year as councillors find deals for flights or opt out of attending.

"We approve what's there and then keep an eye on the expenses," said Bisaro.

"It's been practice to come in under what we usually spend. I know we over-estimated last year as well."

Council will vote on the travel budget at its next regular meeting, Jan. 23.