Spending
The Issue
A project can appear affordable when the public is shown only its initial construction or purchase price. Design, financing, project management, contingencies, technology, site preparation and other predictable expenses can materially change the real cost. Council cannot anticipate every problem, but it can insist that known and reasonably foreseeable costs are presented before a commitment.
My Position
Residents deserve the best available estimate of the complete cost, not simply the number that makes a proposal easiest to approve. Estimates should identify what is included, excluded, uncertain and capable of changing.
What Council Can Do
Require significant expenditure reports to present the full expected project cost, assumptions, contingencies, financial risks, credible alternatives and the consequences of proceeding, delaying or doing nothing.
What I Would Advocate For
A consistent summary showing complete estimated cost; inclusions and exclusions; contingency; significant assumptions and risks; alternatives; and consequences of proceeding, delaying or doing nothing.
Costs and Consequences
Better estimates require time and sometimes outside expertise. Early estimates remain uncertain. The objective is to expose uncertainty before the decision and reduce predictable surprises.
Questions That Still Need Answers
What is included? What remains outside the estimate? How was contingency calculated? Which assumptions create the greatest risk? What would delay or change cost?
Sources and Further Reading
CONNECTED DECISIONS
Connected Decisions
No major community decision happens in isolation.
Housing
How new homes fit the community and what they require.
Community Plan
Where housing fits, how neighbourhoods connect and what natural and public spaces are protected.
Growth
What infrastructure and public services development requires, and who pays for them.
Spending
What a decision costs today, how it is funded and what obligations follow.
Ask Holly About This
Have a question or perspective to share? Please get in touch.