St. Albert city council is set to have one of their briefest meetings of the year on Tuesday as nearly the entire agenda is scheduled to pass on consent.
Among the items set to be approved on consent is the annual consultant spending report for 2023, the second report of its kind after council passed a motion in the fall of 2022 asking for annual breakdowns of consultant spending.
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The 2023 report, which can be accessed through the May 21 council meeting agenda, shows that the city spent about $890,000 on consultant services in 2023, which is about $15,000 more than 2022.
The biggest line item in 2023, the report shows, was $188,813 for services from EPB (formerly known as Economic Development Research Group) for the development of a methodology and evaluation tool that municipalities throughout the region can use to determine the value and timeliness of potential development locations.
As the Gazette reported in 2021, the project is a joint endeavour for 13 municipalities in the region, including but not limited to St. Albert, Edmonton, Strathcona County, Leduc and Leduc County, Morinville, Sturgeon County, Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, and more.
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Although the consulting cost shows on St. Albert's books, the conglomerate of municipalities received a provincial grant for the project.
The Gazette will have a further breakdown of the city's spending on consultants last year to come, and in this week's newspaper.
City forecasting small surplus for 2024
Council is also set to receive the first quarter financial report for 2024 on Tuesday, which shows that as of the end of March the city is forecasting a $322,000 surplus for the year.
The expected surplus, according to the report, is a result of $170,000 in higher than expected public transit revenue and $50,000 in higher than expected revenue from water connection fees.
However, the report also shows that the city's planning and engineering department is now expected to be roughly $247,000 over budget, due to the city facing up to $247,000 in higher than expected costs to power streetlights.
The Gazette will have council's reaction to the first surplus forecast of the year to come.
$10,000 needed for 'anti-slip material' for Grey Nuns White Spruce Park
Another item council is set to pass on consent on Tuesday is the use of $10,000 in leftover project funds to install “anti-slip” material on the boardwalk in Grey Nuns White Spruce Park.
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Installing the material stems from a successful motion put forward by Coun. Sheena Hughes last fall.
A report to council included in the May 21 agenda package explains that although Hughes' motion explicitly stated that administration should work with a budget of, not including labour costs, $3,300, administration has since learned that the park's warranty doesn't expire until November, and as such, the original contractor the city hired for the park should be hired again to install the anti-slip material in order to ensure there are no warranty complications.
“The contractor's pricing for installation adds $10,000 to the project scope,” the report explains, meaning the overall budget to add the material to the boardwalk is now $13,300.
