City Hall job vacancies mean cost savings

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Bluesky
• Share on X
• Copy Link

But it was the money not paid in salaries, wages and benefits not paid as positions remained vacant for months or were filled by managers at lower salary levels that made the most significant impact.

Social media

Teen charged after threat at Sturgeon Lake school reported from outside Canada

7h ago

Risk still low

Prince Albert region seeing growing number of Lyme disease-carrying ticks: U of S researcher

8h ago

Game 5

Do or die for the Raiders in final game at the Art Hauser Centre

10h ago

In one instance, the human resources director position remained open for six months, which led to a more than $69,000 favourable variance in that division’s budget. Some of the savings was put towards offsetting an overage resulting from a special project the division worked on on.

Most of the funds had favourable variances for 2014, with the exception of the water utility fund. It had a more than $838,000 unfavourable variance due to all of the water main and water service connection breaks.

“That contributed to a lot of overtime and costs related to that that ended up hitting our actuals at year end,” Day said of why the fund spent more than budgeted.

The actual expenses overall for the funds slightly exceeded the budgeted amount, as well. The expenses were budgeted at $74,993,000, but it came in at about $75,327,000.

There were smaller savings scattered throughout the City’s operations. This includes a $15,240.98 favourable variance in the city solicitor’s office because savings in the contracting out of legal services.

Other positive variances came not from savings, but an increase in revenue. A $34,247.57 positive variance in the building inspection budget was in part due to higher revenues from building permits.

There were also a number of smaller unfavourable variances. Among them was an unfavourable variance at the Kinsmen Water Park. The City generated $108,198.40 less than it had expected to in 2014, only generating $90,261.60 in user charges and fees. Its total revenues were $104,498,40 less than expected, with the favourable variance in operating grants and donations factored in.

The downtown snow removal budget also had an unfavourable variance of $44,348.74, owing to the significant amount of snow that fell in the early part of the year. 

The City’s audited financial statements are expected to be presented during an upcoming council meeting.

tjames@panow.com

On Twitter: @thiajames