GN wants city to redraw fiscal calendar

The Government of Nunavut wants the City of Iqaluit to change the end of its fiscal year.

If done, this would change the time of year when Iqalummiut receive tax bills from the city. It would also likely cause a year of havoc as city accountants and administration staff sort out overlaps between the two systems in 2007, the year the plan would be adopted.

But councillors and city staff expressed skepticism about whether the shift would be worth the hassle, during a council meeting on Tuesday, Jan 10.

“They tend to dictate things to make things easier for them,” said Coun. Teresa Rodrigue. “They’re asking us to turn ourselves upside down.”

“I think we need to go through the process of justifying it, whether we do or not,” said deputy mayor Glenn Williams.

The change would shift the end of year from Dec. 31 to March 31, which is the end of the financial year for many organizations, including the hamlets of Nunavut, and the Government of Nunavut.

The proposed change would also mean new Iqaluit councilors elected in the fall 2006 would be more involved in the budget-making process. In the past, new councillors have had to adopt a budget process already partly underway.

The city plans to write a letter to the GN, asking what funding they would receive to help with the change-over.