No new big-ticket items will see the light of day in St. Albert next year, after city council surgically trimmed the fat from the 2020 budget Thursday evening.
Next year, the property tax increase is forecasted to be 2.5 per cent, up 0.1 per cent from the initially projected increase.
At the start of deliberations on Thursday, the tax-o-meter initially clocked in at three per cent because it factored in decreased revenue resulting from the province's austerity measures. Before council began deliberations, St. Albert was proposing a $109.7-million operating budget and a $93.5-million capital budget. Utilities were budgeted at $11.6 million.
On Thursday, council found efficiencies in areas including their own council budget – freezing their wages in 2020 – and by pressing pause on traffic calming and planning for new recreation services.
“I hope we get some recognition that we kind of went through our own budget and really scoured it ... thank you, council, for your support on a freeze in our wages for one year,” said Mayor Cathy Heron.
Over the course of deliberations, council was poised to axe a requested expansion of fire services, and on Thursday they agreed to make the cut. Construction of a new $16-million firehall in north St. Albert will be pushed back a year to 2022, along with the purchase of all related equipment.
However, this decision will have no tax impact in 2020, since money will not be borrowed for the project until shovels are ready to break ground.
St. Albert will budget $2.5 million in 2020 to purchase land for the new fire station. Council also gave the thumbs up to purchasing a new $780,000 fire tanker, which will help serve areas without water hydrants, after defeating a motion by Coun. Jacquie Hansen to cancel the purchase.
“I guess I’m kind of stuck on cost and the immediate need today,” Hansen said.
Traffic calming paused
Rather than budgeting to spend just over a half-million dollars on new traffic calming measures, St. Albert will use 2020 as a catch-up year and only spend $50,000.
A motion by Coun. Natalie Joly to reduce the traffic calming budget was unanimously supported by council.
St. Albert is currently behind on traffic calming measures proposed for Erin Ridge North and Grandin, and this will give the city a chance to catch up.
“This will allow us to catch up, this $50,000 is what we need to kind of keep it going and have the funds to make sure that we can reassess in 2020 and make some plans for 2021,” Joly said.
Delay of Lakeview plan
Development of a plan that would instigate growth in St. Albert’s Lakeview Business Park and Badger Lands will be delayed again, resulting in savings of $1.3 million next year.
Coun. Sheena Hughes spearheaded a motion to postpone development of area structure plans for those two pieces of land. The motion passed 4-3, with Heron, Joly and Coun. Wes Brodhead voting against.
Area structure plans guide servicing, transportation networks and what kind of development will occur in those regions. They need to be in place before landowners can move into the area and begin development.
Rental assistance program to stay
A program helping some of St. Albert’s “most vulnerable people” with temporary rental assistance will continue to exist, despite a motion from Joly to have the program unfunded.
Joly said when St. Albert first started its Rental Assistance Program (RAP), it was stimulated by provincial dollars that no longer exist, and the city has had to take over ownership of the $60,000 program. While RAP is budgeted at $60,000 per year, the program is heavily utilized and actually costs St. Albert double the budgeted amount.
“We have to turn people away all the time, we’ve already heard they’re doing that right now, and that’s not going to stop,” she said. “Ultimately, it’s not addressing any problem; we need to address this problem systematically.”
Hughes countered that while city council does need to think of a long-term solution for affordable housing, sometimes you need to place a temporary band-aid while working toward a complete solution.
RAP has been going for a decade, and currently assists 42 residents in 20 households that might otherwise face homelessness.
Eliminating funding would have also cut St. Albert’s emergency crisis fund, which is funded by the same dollars as RAP.
Seniors property tax grant
A program providing tax relief to seniors will be topped up by $30,000, allowing for an increase of $50 per grant.
Joly proposed the increase, saying seniors living on fixed incomes face challenges with inflated costs of living and rising property taxes.
“The people who have access to the program are only low-income seniors,” she said. “This again is just helping our most vulnerable residents age in place.”
Heron opposed the move, saying she feels like “it’s just another social service the city is taking on” that it shouldn’t be.
The motion passed, with Heron, Hughes and Coun. Ken MacKay opposed.
Solar panels for public works
St. Albert’s Public Works facility could be the next city building to be outfitted with a solar array, after council approved spending up to $500,000 on the project.
However, council was clear the project would only go ahead if St. Albert is able to secure approximately a third of the cost in grants.
Hansen proposed funding the project and said what sold her was “the fact it pays for itself.”
City council is set to give final approval to St. Albert's 2020 budget during their Dec. 16 meeting. The city's final mill rat will be approved in the spring, when council passes its property tax bylaw.