SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - City administration is getting ahead of itself, council and the budget deliberation process with the presumption that a levy increase proposed in the draft 2011 budget will be passed next week, say councillors.

The Dec. 3 Capital Update municipal newsletter announced that as of Jan. 1 the monthly residential single family unit solid waste levy will increase to $12 from $11, despite the fact that the increase hasn't yet been voted on.

"Something really shouldn't be in the Capital Update unless it has already happened," said city councillor Paul Falvo.

The notice should have at least been written differently so residents would know the increase hasn't been passed yet, he said.

"They could have still given notice and let it be known that it was up for consideration. In fact, that would even be better because that would be encouraging people, or reminding them, that they have an opportunity to have feedback," he said.

A vote against a hike to the garbage levy is not outside the realm of possibility. Councillors rejected a $1 increase -raising the levy to $11 -in 2004. The city began charging a monthly $10 solid waster levy onto water bills in the early 1990s to pay for the construction of a baling facility at the city landfill. It is now applied toward garbage services and dump maintenance.

Carl Bird, director of corporate services for the city, said he doesn't have an opinion on whether it's presumptuous or not for administration to inform the public of an increase that hasn't been approved by council.

The announcement is for the benefit of the public, he said.

"If we don't give them notice, then they'll complain that they didn't get notice," he said.

Coun. David Wind said he would like administration to wait until a vote is complete before including something in the Capital Update.

"I think they're jumping the gun a little bit," he said. "Every once in a while something like that creeps in and catches me off guard and I'm never happy about it."

Coun. Bob Brooks said the reason administration put the notice in early is to give the public fair warning that the increase is a possibility.

"This way they're able to give people as much notice as possible," he said.

Because the budget ratification meeting isn't being held until Dec. 14, Brooks said it was important to inform Yellowknifers about the increase before it was passed, so they would have more than two weeks notice.

Brooks said if council decides not to increase the levy, administration will run a new notice informing the public of the change.

Bird told council Nov. 22 the $1 levy increase is being recommended by administration to pull the Solid Waste Management Fund out of a forecasted $120,000 deficit for 2010.

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