MELFORT — The City of Melfort council and staff have been busy over the past week discussing the 2021 city budget.
The first meeting on Dec. 8 kicked off the discussion around capital projects and operations and will continue every Tuesday morning until the budget is passed, reported Sandy Peterson, the city treasurer, in a report to council.
The five-year general capital plans will see over $465,000 dedicated to public works, community services, and administration projects from reserve interest earnings. Other options to fund these projects will come from grants that city staff have or will be applying for.
More than $395,000 from the utility operating reserve will be used for a five-year plan of water main replacements, street paving, and other public works projects. Council has a number of options to choose from in the coming year.
Special capital budget items were also included in the discussion with a number of possible new projects for the city to decide on in the coming weeks, including recreational additions to the Spruce Haven development.
All decisions made by the council will include spending plans and have to be covered by reserves or other revenue, like government grants.
City staff are already looking into funding opportunities for some of these projects, said Peterson in a phone interview. One possible grant is for $24 million over multiple years for the city to replace two water lines. Knowing that these grants are not guaranteed, Peterson said they do have $3.6 million dedicated to starting these projects if government funding is not available for the first year.
One program that will continue on into 2021 is the essential sidewalk replacement program with $355,000 dedicated for this coming year, Peterson said.
This was a positive first step, said Mayor Glenn George, and work into the budget will continue into the first few council meetings of January. There are plenty of projects that need to be done, he said, and the city council’s job will be to decide which projects will get done in the coming year. It is a tough job, he said.
