THUNDER BAY -- Keri Greaves remembers having to hit the ground running in his role as treasurer of the City of Thunder Bay.
“I came in at 8:30 on Sept. 5 and we had a 9 am meeting for the budget that lasted three hours,” Greaves said after the January 23 budget meeting.
“This is much bigger than my previous experience. There are a lot more facets that I’m learning about every day with some of the information that was presented tonight by city manager Norm Gale and by some of the councillors. It was information that I didn't have. I'm still learning, but it's been a great experience so far.”
Greaves took on the role when Linda Evans retired. He is a chartered professional accountant and a graduate of the Lakehead University Honours Bachelor of Commerce program.
He said there was some familiarity coming into the role after spending some time with the District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board (TBDSSAB).
Greaves began as a financial analyst with the TBDSSAB in 2003 and then moved into a senior financial analyst role in May 2011. Then in September of that year he became the manager of finances.
Greaves stressed that building the budget is a true team effort.
“We have a great team working through this budget. The finance group puts together the budget, which takes up a lot of hours,” he said.
“The management team comes in to discuss their budgets - they are very knowledgeable of the service levels that they need to sustain and what needs to be included.
“Once that collaboration is done, it goes over to the budget office and that team puts it together. It sounds easy to just put it together but it’s actually a very complex exercise. I really appreciate everyone’s help and all the work they do to make this happen.”
The public has a chance to weigh in during an informal question and answer session in the Embassy Suite at the Victoria Inn on Jan. 25.
Council will review the budget on Jan. 30, Feb. 1, Feb. 5 and Feb. 7.
The budget is scheduled to be ratified on Monday, Feb. 12.
