Whitehorse city councillor Ranj Pillai says he'll wait until next week to speak his piece on the projected deficit the city is running, though it was clear he was quietly boiling at Tuesday night's meeting.

After senior staff presented their forecast for a $805,000 budget deficit, along with a list of recommendations to balance the books by year's end, there were a couple of questions politely put forward by members of council.

That is until it came Pillai's turn.

The co-chair of the committee responsible for the city's financial management said he would wait until next week to make his comments when the proposed austerity package comes forward for a vote.

Pillai said he wasn't as calm receiving the deficit news as his fellow council members appeared to be.

And Mayor Bev Buckway has criticized him in the past for presenting administration with the "gotcha” questions, he said.

"I'm going to save my comments until next week.”Pillai continued, however, as though unable to put the brakes on.

He told Robert Fendrick, the director of administrative services, that while he accepted Fendrick's view of the situation, it wasn't how he saw things.

The city has regularly been in a deficit position mid-way through the year going back to 2000, Pillai said.

Some deficits, he explained, have been relatively insignificant; others not so insignificant.

But having to make up $1 million in four months to break even by the end of the end the year is a sure sign that something's not right, Pillai suggested.

Perhaps, the councillor continued, it's time to go through a full review of the city's entire operation, as acting Mayor Florence Roberts seemed to give a slow nod of approval for Pillai's suggestion.

The councillor pointed out the deficit position comes even though the city received $200,000 more in its annual payment from the Yukon government, and $140,000 in unexpected revenue from building permits.

Rather than looking at using the $340,000 to explore tax cuts for next year, the city is forced to use the money to help dig itself out of the red, he said.

City council announced this year it needed to implement three years of four-per-cent increases in property taxes each year to balance the books, 2011 being the first year.

The city's budget for this year is $63 million.

Fendrick explained the lion's share of the current deficit was created through adjustments to wages and benefits through three new employee contracts this year, along with adjustments to keep pace with the legislated requirement of providing a fair wage for work of equal value.

By Chuck Tobin

Star Reporter