Delaying upgrades to traffic control measures and increasing land sales in 2025 are just two strategies city council plans to pursue to tame a $9-million capital budget shortfall.
During its Dec. 13 budget meeting, council approved eight motions — city administration had initially presented 12 during a previous meeting — worth $9,063,738 to address the $8,959,764 deficit in the general capital reserve budget, leaving a surplus of $103,974.
This budget area is responsible for addressing core infrastructure initiatives such as sidewalks, pavement rehabilitation, bridges, building improvements and park upgrades.
Operations department
Council voted 5-2 to have the operations department — which oversees public works and engineering activities — cut $1,258,000 from its capital request, leaving $2,174,195 for next year.
In favour were Mayor Clive Tolley and councillors Jamey Logan, Doug Blanc, Heather Eby and Dawn Luhning. Opposed were councillors Crystal Froese and Kim Robinson.
The projects affected include a slope slump monitoring and remediation program (reduced), upgrades to traffic control measures (reduced), contributions to the demolition of the Coteau Street East bridge (deferred), storm sewer remediation near Hillcrest Golf Course and Sunningdale Creek and replacing, repairing or relining storm sewers (reduced) and carry-forward money for other projects (deferred).
Froese said she spent plenty of time reading this file and had concerns about reducing the slumping strategy because she thought it was an essential initiative that the city hadn’t done before. In particular, she didn’t think council had enough information to proceed with this project or insert it into the department’s five-year capital plan as an $8-million commitment.
Bevan Harlton, director of operations, said his department would create a slope monitoring program early next year and provide an in-depth report with more details.
Land development
Council voted unanimously to have city administration develop and implement a land development strategy that could produce an extra $1 million in annual revenues that administration could direct to the general capital reserve account.
“It’s definitely a key focus and I look forward to seeing what administration brings back for a strategy and to identify the areas that could be put up for sale,” said Froese.
Pursuing this initiative would force city hall to market and sell existing land more actively and acquire and develop land for future sales, finance director Brian Acker said during a previous meeting.
Land sales have fallen off over the past few years — revenues usually ranged from $1 million to $1.5 million — so city hall must refocus on this area, he added. It’s realistic to think that the city can generate this revenue next year and in subsequent years.
Sanitary sewers
Council voted unanimously to have city hall reduce the sanitary sewers budget by $800,000 and the feeder mains budget by $715,738 and direct that $1,515,738 in federal Gas Tax funding to the paved roads budget, leaving $4,134,262 for next year’s projects.
Council also directed administration to designate $660,000 in extra Gas Tax funding for the water main replacement program.
Eby said she supported the reductions only because administration had suggested them as options and they wouldn’t affect city hall’s ability to pursue those initiatives in 2024.
Reducing the two budgets will limit the size of the infrastructure renewal projects, which means the feeder main project will decrease by 400 metres, administration said during a previous meeting.
However, this would not affect the water/wastewater buildings the city manages and maintains, nor would it affect the Crescent View Lift Station project, a planned power backup generator on High Street, the renewal of sewage ponds, software program upgrades, the final decommissioning of a Buffalo Pound water transmission line or a condition assessment of the wastewater treatment plant.
The Express will have a third story featuring the other four motions.
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