It's that time of year again.
A special meeting of council was held on February 27 to discuss the Cityof Humboldt's budget. Director of Finance Steve Brown was not in attendance.
Although no decisions were made during the meeting, City Council discussed a number of items in the budget.
According to a report by Brown, the preliminary budget shows total expenditures to be $16,174,555 and total revenues to be $12,982,970, which would show a $3,191,585 deficit for the city.
The main discussion during the meeting was whether or not some items could be cut from the budget.
The biggest topic was about replacing aging infrastructure, especially three water mains and an upgrade to the sewer lift station north of Dairy Queen on 9th Avenue.
That area has had a problem with flooding in the past because the water and sewer system is old and in the event of a storm cannot handle that much water going through it, explained Joe Doxey, director of planning and engineering.
The preliminary budget shows $300,000 for water main replacement and $2,120,224 for upgrade and a larger retention tank for lift station two.
The amount it would cost to do these repairs had council trying to come up with other options to help with the water issues in order to have more money for the project next year.
"We could begin a planning process and do the project in 2013," suggested James Moller, city manager.
Many members of council thought that could possibly be a viable option, but others felt the city has a responsibility to do what it can to help the homeowners in that area.
"We have to protect the area," said Mayor Malcolm Eaton.
Other councillors agreed with Eaton, saying they should at least get a start on the project this year.
Coun. Aaron Behiel said they should start with the lift station upgrades.
"We would gain (significant) water storage," said Behiel, adding it would help alleviate flood problems in the area.
In the end, council asked that Brown get more information on costs for all their options before their next meeting.
"I like the idea of coming up with a 10-year plan and then determine where to come from," said Coun. Rob Muench.
Moller explained they may not be able to have a 10-year plan by the next meeting, as that is a larger project Brown is working on, but they can have more information for council prepared for their next meeting to make it easier to make a decision.
Council also discussed the budget for the Humboldt and District Museum and Gallery (HDMG), which mainly focused on plans for the Merchant Bank of Canada building, which the museum acquired stewardship of in 2011.
The preliminary budget shows $332,436 will be required for 2012 for upgrades to the building.
Jennifer Hoesgen, curator of HDMG, was at the meeting to answer any questions council had. She explained that the majority of the funds will be coming from grants and from the fundraising efforts of the Friends of the Museum foundation.
They are looking at two grants right now, both for $50,000, but are unsure if they will be awarded to HDMG.
Hoesgen explained HDMG is only looking for a $50,000 contribution from the city to cover the costs.
She said they do not want to have to turn to money raised by the Friends of the Museum because it will deplete their funds completely and they may need money for other projects, but will do it if necessary.
"If the grant does not go through and if the city doesn't put in the money, the foundation money will be used," said Hoesgen.
Again, council was unable to come to a decision about this topic.
They also discussed parks and playgrounds, backyard pick-up program and replacements for equipment, but were unable to make any decisions since Brown was not in attendance to answer their questions. They asked that Brown make some calculations for their next meeting.
