The proposed budget was presented at Monday's city planning committee online meeting. (Angela Brown/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

Budget 2022

City council deliberates on administration’s proposed budget

Nov 16, 2021 | 3:26 PM

The City of North Battleford administration gave council a breakdown of some of the larger spend items impacting the proposed 2022 budget at the first deliberation meeting Monday.

Administration recommended a 7.48 per cent tax increase for next year’s operating budget, due largely to increased RCMP policing costs.

“This is administration’s recommendation to council,” city manager Randy Patrick said. “This is not the city’s budget. This is what we’re recommending to council to create the city budget. Then, we go from there.”

The 2022 rate being considered reflects 2.5 per cent for required wage increases to keep up with inflation, which is now at over four per cent per annum, plus 4.98 per cent for higher policing costs.

The federal government and the RCMP union recently completed negotiations for a five-year contact that is retroactive. The contract impacts all municipalities using RCMP policing services. The city estimates RCMP costs will go up by about 23 per cent.

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The city managed to mitigate the impact from the RCMP contract increase for this year due to some existing vacancies.

“We suggested we should take a look at vacancies right now. They are having a hard time filling some positions…,” Patrick said. “[So] we brought that down to 4.98 [per cent increase].”

Council has been looking to find some savings in the proposed budget wherever possible.

For example, council enquired, hypothetically, whether it was possible to reduce RCMP numbers to save costs. However, administration said that could only be done by providing the RCMP with at least a full year advance notice. So even if council wanted to cut down on some RCMP officers to limit policing costs, the savings would not be reflected in the 2022 budget.

Some of the larger budget items discussed include the proposed Sobeys intersection project, to improve safety for traffic crossing between the Sobeys entrance and the Discovery Co-op entrance off Territorial Drive. From the estimated $1-million cost, 75 per cent would be funded by the city, and the remaining 25 per cent from the province’s Urban Highway Connector Program if approved. The city would cover its portion using $250,000 of city funds, plus the remainder from its gas tax funds.

Also discussed were plans to convert a room at the Don Ross Centre into a new city council chambers site that offers more space for social distancing and is more accessible to the public, compared to the existing chambers upstairs in city hall. About $50,000 has been set aside in the budget for this initiative. From that amount, about $20,000 is for installing appropriate audio-video equipment.

“We would proceed as far as we can with whatever money is given to us,” Patrick said of the effort.

The project would also involve looking at building a new desk for council, adding carpeting, improving lighting and changing the doors to the room as well.

Among the capital plan projects, the city will focus on sidewalk work from 110th Street to Territorial Phase 1 – 110th Street to Battleford Road for $120,000.

For utilities, administration recommended a three per cent increase for 2022 due to the financial impact related to borrowing for the large-scale multi-million dollar sanitary sewer force main project currently underway.

A separate increase of four per cent for waste management operations was needed for contract increases over the last two years.

The next budget deliberation meeting scheduled for Thursday, again online via Zoom, will focus on recreation, departmental budgets as well as third party grants.

Council is expected to vote on administration’s proposed budget at its Dec. 13 meeting, or at a later date if further discussions are still needed.

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow