Budget talk
27
2009
As we get closer to debating the contents of the 2010 budget, I want to share some information about what the proposed budget contains and what I think we might be able to achieve.
Council held a Public Hearing on the budget on November 25, and we’ll begin debating and making amendments next week.
Transit: What’s in the Budget
- ETS has proposed an overall budget requiring tax levy of about $109 million. That covers all bus, DATS and LRT service throughout the city.
- The headline item is the opening of the South LRT extension to Southgate and Century Park in April 2010. That service will cost about $4.6 million to run.
- There are also some changes to bus service to allow connections to the new Transit Centres in the Meadows and Lewis Estates.
What’s Not
- There are a few new communities that have bus service in Peak Hours (rush hour), but not during midday hours, evenings, or weekends. I want to explore the cost of providing service to meet these needs.
- A few of the newest neighbourhoods don’t have any bus service at all. I think we have to at least explore whether we can provide service in these areas.
Community Safety: What’s in the Budget
- The Police Commission has submitted two budgets. One is the cost of maintaining current service levels, which requires a budget increase of almost 10%. The other meets Council’s guideline for a 3% increase, but could decrease the size of the Police Service substantially. Council will have to choose between them.
- The Community Safety Coordinating Council (CSCC) is the new body responsible for charting a new course for crime prevention in Edmonton and implementing the vision of the Mayor’s Task Force. The City has transferred some existing resources to the CSCC.
What’s Not
- The CSCC reports that another $200,000 would allow it to make more progress on crime prevention. I’ve asked for more details about what this funding would allow and what we could accomplish without it.
Environment and Sustainability: What’s in the Budget
- Ongoing funding for the City’s Office of the Environment will continue.
- The City has made major progress toward sustainability over the last two years. Our Waste Management branch is world-renowned, and we continue to look for ways to make all operations more sustainable.
What’s Not
- This year, Council approved a Sustainable Environmental and Ethical Procurement Policy. This means the City will have to consider ethical and environmental factors when making decisions about buying all kinds of products (food, clothing, office supplies, etc.). I started working on this issue right after being elected, and I’m proud of the policy. However, it will take about $99,000 starting this year to implement the policy.
Other Services: What’s in the Budget
- Most service levels will be maintained.
- Administration has proposed some cuts in order to balance the budget. These include minor reductions to library hours, reduced turf maintenance, reduced mosquito control, and slower response times on some snow removal.
What’s Not
- We need to ask hard questions about whether the library reductions are necessary. Our libraries grew by 1 million visits last year, and provide essential services to all kinds of communities – new or old neighbourhoods, immigrants and newcomers, children and youth, seniors – and are an important resource for low-income Edmontonians.
We need to maintain services that are needed now more than ever, but we also need to be fiscally responsible and keep taxes affordable. As you can see, it will be a difficult budget year. I’m optimistic that we can make real progress on our top priorities.
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