City hall. (file photo/paNOW)

By Susan McNeil

City Hall

Budget talks end with $2.5 million increase

Dec 1, 2023 | 12:00 PM

Prince Albert city council has wrapped up its discussion for the 2024 budget year with an increase of $2.5 million in spending paid for through property taxes.

The discussions ended even as the city reached a new wage deal with one of its two workers that will see those staff get an 11 per cent wage bump over the next four years.

This year, staff with get a three per cent increase for salaries, wages and benefits, slightly larger than the 2.9 per cent council allocated for its own increase.

READ MORE: https://panow.com/2023/11/18/budget-deliberations-now-stand-at-8-per-cent-increase/

Prince Albert Police asked for a $1.5 million increase in their budget, which council limited to $759,000.

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“Cities are facing a crisis when it comes to homelessness, policing and social issues. We are simply not supported enough and particularly in Prince Albert where we face unique circumstances,” said Mayor Dionne, in a news release.

While the population stands at around 40,000 people; as a service centre for the north, the city frequently sees thousands of visitors in town.

Most of them bring shopping dollars, some bring other issues like criminal behaviour that fall on local officers to police and are not accounted for in provincial grant funding.

With the increase for next year under newly sworn-in Chief Patrick Nogier, PAPS operations will take up almost 30 per cent of the city budget plus another $190,000 for paid security at other locations.

Fees for non-residents to use city facilities are on the horizon. Council passed motions to add a $150 fee for indoor facility use and $75 fee for outdoor facilities for non-resident user groups.

Residents will get first dibs on registering their children for swimming lessons.

“We have attempted to work with the RMs in the past to discuss funding support for recreation facilities that their residents benefit from,” said Mayor Greg Dionne. “Unfortunately, we did not receive a commitment, so we are pursuing other options to protect the interests of our taxpayers who fund these facilities. We remain open to discussions from the RM if they are interested.”

Next year, the city will spend $6.5 million on recreational facilities and programming at various locations.

Other budget highlights include $150,000 in upgrades to the Midtown Community Club Centre playground and splash park; $60,000 to re-build paths in Midtown, Cook Drive, Lake Estates and AC Howard Park and $30,000 each for improvements at Prime Ministers’ Park and Lakeland Ford Park.

About $4.5 million will be spent on the annual paving program.

The budget will be finalized at an upcoming council meeting.

One the budget is finalized, the city tax department will wait for the province to announce education mill rates and decide its own mill rate, minimum tax rates and base taxes.

That will be done in March and generally the education mill rate is announced in April with tax notices following shortly afterwards.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com