Budget deliberation wrap-up
15
2011
Council has just concluded a round of difficult budget deliberations. We set a capital budget for the next three years, and operating and utility budgets for 2012.
As you have probably heard, our budget for next year came in at $1.88 billion, which will mean a property tax increase of about $93 for the average homeowner. While this is higher than our original target, it is becoming increasingly difficult for municipalities to fund core services and infrastructure while relying primarily on property taxes – which, unlike the income tax collected by other orders of government, does not increase on its own as wages increase. Council heard from almost 100 people at our budget public hearing this year, and most came requesting funding for worthwhile projects that improve Edmontonians’ quality of life.
In the end, I think we came out of the budget process with some significant accomplishments for Ward 12 in particular. These projects were at critical points, and so I pushed to ensure they received funding now, when they need it, amid competing priorities.
Specifically, a number of roads in Mill Woods need widening. I hear often from residents who are frustrated by traffic jams. The City requires developers to fund road widenings to four lanes on main roadways, but since the City itself (rather than private developers) developed Mill Woods, we are now responsible to widen its roads – but no money was set aside specifically for this. I was able to get the support of my Council colleagues to fund widening to four lanes, in this three-year cycle, for 23 Ave (34 St to Mill Woods Rd East), 38 Ave (31 St to 34 St), and 34 Ave (48 St to 34 St).
Another priority for me was to dedicate money for land purchases along the Southeast and West LRT line extending to Mill Woods. We recently asked that Administration come back with a plan on how to move ahead with building this line and securing funding from Provincial and Federal governments. But we as a City also need to show we’re seriously committed to LRT, so I am pleased to say that my colleagues supported my proposal to begin purchasing land we’ll need to extend the LRT. The goal is to have trains running to Mill Woods by 2018!
Within the next three years we will also see progress on the new Meadows Rec Centre, the Mill Woods Senior Centre and Multicultural Facility, a fire station in Ellerslie, as well as enhanced support of community leagues, police services, traffic signal coordination, and affordable housing, to name but a few initiatives.
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