This Thursday evening's public input meeting and the online questionnaire focusing on the city's 2014 budget is a good step forward and something the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce has been calling on for years, says chamber president Rick Karp.

"They've moved in the right direction,” he said in an interview Monday, while adding that more could be done and taking issue with a query in the questionnaire on the city website.

The meeting is set for Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Westmark Whitehorse Hotel with the questionnaire at www.whitehorse.ca

Written submissions can also be submitted to budgetinput@whitehorse.ca

Karp argued the meeting is coming on short notice; he just received word of it last Friday.

He also argued that the city should be providing more information on what may be in the document with a forecast for the next year.

While the city's provisional budget for 2014 that was developed as part of the city's three-year spending plan is available on the city's website, Karp pointed out the plan was developed last year, and things have likely changed since then.

Taxpayers don't need to see a lengthy document on potential spending plans of the city, he added, but some sort of forecast would give taxpayers an idea of where the money could go.

The chamber president also takes issue with a question on the website that states: "A tax increase is needed to maintain City services. What level of tax increase do you support?”

Karp argues it "seems a little premature” to say there will be a tax increase without finalizing the budget.

Valerie Anderson, the city's manager of financial services, said in an interview this morning the meeting is part of the city's efforts to expand consultation opportunities.

While the city doesn't offer the open house meetings each year on the budget, they have happened in the past.

This year, a consultant was already in town working on strategic planning with officials and that provided an opportunity to have the open house on Thursday.

As to whether there will be a tax increase, Anderson noted that it's not a forgone conclusion.

Costs, however, continue to rise each year to provide the same services.

So if those services are to continue at the same level, she said, the funding for that will have to come from somewhere. And in the city, revenue for operating costs comes from property taxes.

Following the consultation, Anderson said, the feedback will go to council for

consideration, with the capital budget set to be presented in November and, provided there are no deferrals or delays, adopted by Dec. 9.

City officials have stated a tax increase of more than four per cent is anticipated into the foreseeable future to maintain services.

Mayor Dan Curtis said in an interview this morning that when the new council was elected in October 2012, city officials were anticipating a 4.5 per cent increase to maintain services.

Ideally, Curtis said – noting the city is working on it – tax hikes would be limited to the inflationary rates, which this year would be 2.4 per cent, according to the Consumer Price Index.

"That's keeping up with inflation,” he said.

Curtis said he doesn't know if the city will be able to limit 2014 tax increases to 2.4 per cent given that certain costs rise by more than the overall inflationary rate.

Energy costs, for example, are rising by 11 per cent.

"There's a variety of issues,” he said.

He hopes to work with the public and groups like the chamber to look at how the budget should be developed for 2014 – whether that means a reduction in services and if so what services, more taxes and so on.

Curtis noted that he has a mandate to work in the best interests of Whitehorse citizens, and that's exactly what he and others at the city are doing as work on the 2014 budget continues.

He said he would like to work with the chamber and has invited the group to work with the city's management team on next year's budget.

The actual increase would still need to go forward as part of the 2014 operating budget to be presented early in the new year.

The operating budget, which sets out any tax hikes, will come forward in the new year and is expected to be adopted in February.