It appears Gravenhurst council is starting to pay attention to the people.

For the first time ever, Gravenhurst is allowing public input into the budget.

It has only taken two years since the election to come through on the promise of more public input, but as the saying goes, it’s better late than never.

Budget documents will be available to the public Jan. 28, and on Feb. 2, a Saturday, Gravenhurst taxpayers can attend a meeting to let councillors know their questions and concerns.

But despite council’s efforts, not everyone is happy with the amount of public input allowed and when it is being asked for in the budget process.

Obviously there is no pleasing the Greater Gravenhurst Residents’ Association, who would probably only be happy if its members were able to micromanage the entire budget process.

While we would all like to be able to have a say in every penny that comes out of the coffers, whether we like it or not, we have to have some trust in our elected officials and town employees.

But what we also need to realize is just because this is the process this year, it doesn’t mean it can’t change next year.

Yes, the town deserves a small pat on the back for making a change to its budget process, but councillor Lou Guerriero needs to understand that just because the town is “doing more than it has to,” it doesn’t mean that the door should be closed on going a little further next year.

This is your chance to get involved and get informed Gravenhurst, so it’s up to you to make sure this meeting time is utilized to its fullest.

And while we’re at it, whether you agree with the process this year or not, we can all agree that this is just one small step in the right direction.

KF