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Tax hike at 2.8 per cent as budget debate wraps

St. Albert homeowners will face a 2.8 per cent property tax increase in 2011 and non-residential property owners will see a hike of 2.83 per cent. Sitting as committee of the whole, city council finalized its budget deliberations Tuesday evening.

St. Albert homeowners will face a 2.8 per cent property tax increase in 2011 and non-residential property owners will see a hike of 2.83 per cent.

Sitting as committee of the whole, city council finalized its budget deliberations Tuesday evening. Council will officially vote on the budget at its next regular meeting on Monday.

The budget originally presented by administration called for a 3.6 per cent increase to residential payers and 3.66 to non-residential.

The budget includes several new staff positions, including four general duty police officers, a corporate marketing manager, a senior planner and a development officer. All of these requests had been included in the budget recommended by staff.

The budget also includes a $600,000 capital project to beautify the deteriorating concrete along the south end of St. Albert Trail. The project will likely lead to trees and shrubs being planted along the trail between Sturgeon Road and the south end of the city.

"It's about improving the look of our city and getting in touch with our brand," said Cathy Heron, who moved the spending for 2011. "Right now I feel slightly embarrassed to drive down the trail and bring a visitor to the city."

Coun. Len Bracko withdrew his motion to limit the tax increase to 1.5 per cent because he intends to bring forward a motion on Monday that the city switch to a three-year budget cycle.

"If you do a budget once every three years instead of once every year, there's a lot of savings to be had," he said.

More tech support for library

Coun. Wes Brodhead successfully added an IT specialist for the library, which will cost $50,200

Brodhead also moved an addition of $26,700 to the budget to increase salaries of Arts and Heritage Foundation employees. A recent survey found they are paid less than the sector's going rate.

Other budget additions were $88,152 to cover the Youth Community Centre's 2011 rent, $43,200 for downtown special events parking and $27,300 for the Community Information and Volunteer Centre.

The city will also spend $38,000 to subsidize free transit access for recipients of Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH).

Councillors also reversed a decision made last week and agreed to provide $59,000 to the 150th anniversary committee for leasing costs. The money will come from the 2010 council contingency fund rather than from general revenue.

An addition of $50,000 to the capital budget to turn the undeveloped land at 22 St. Michael Street into a gravel surface parking lot was also approved. There is already $150,000 earmarked for the project from a previous budget.

Councillors voted to keep a funded business case that will see $30,000 spent on monitoring the former public works yard in Riel Park. They approved the funding for 2011 only and will revisit the issue before deciding on funding for future years.

Trimming

City councillors found several areas to trim. Coun. Cam MacKay was successful in passing a motion to trim salaries, wages and benefits by a total of $100,000.

This can be accomplished without trimming staff because the city runs a surplus in aggregate salaries due to employee turnover, MacKay said.

He was able to pass several other motions aimed at cutting small amounts he felt weren't needed from various department budgets based on his analysis of previous years' spending. "A lot of these speculative budgets are a little bit high," he said.

One of his targets was $20,000 worth of marketing planned by Servus Credit Union Place.

"After five years, your business should be well-established," he said.

Coun. Roger Lemieux noted the facility had planned to spend $30,000 to celebrate its fifth birthday in 2011.

"I think 2011 is going to have enough spending on birthdays," Lemieux quipped.

Council also went along with MacKay's proposal to cut the Servus Place materials budget by $30,000. And it supported Lemieux's move to reduce city training budgets by an overall $25,000.

Other targeted cuts were the $17,000 budgeted for bottled water and about $10,000 earmarked for mowing along Ray Gibbon Drive.

The city manager's personal development budget was also cut by $4,400 because he's been too busy to spend his allotment for the last several years.

Other tidbits

Council decided last week to reduce the frequency of its annual satisfaction survey to once every second year.

"I don't see a lot of value in continuing to do this every year," said Coun. Malcolm Parker, who moved the change.

The survey costs $25,000 each year.

"I know the savings is minuscule, but $25,000 is $25,000," Parker said.

What's in

Four general duty police officers . . . . . $363,000 RCMP parking lot expansion . . . . . $220,000 RCMP satellite office * . . . . . $150,000 Municipal RCMP file reviewers (2) * . . . . . $119,000 Corporate marketing manager . . . . . $85,000 Senior planner . . . . . $77,400 Development officer . . . . . $72,600 Municipal enforcement supervisor . . . . . $56,400 Library IT specialist . . . . . $50,200 Fourth flag pole for St. Albert Place . . . . . $4,000 * money won't be spent until council receives and approves detailed plan by April 1, 2011

What's out

LRT functional alignment study . . . . . $500,000 limit tax increase to 1.5 per cent (related motion to come Monday)

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