Estevan city council approved the 2021 budget at Monday night’s meeting, following final discussions about the document’s contents and third-party grants.
For the third consecutive year, there won’t be an increase to the municipal portion of property tax, and for the second time in three years, there won’t be an increase to water consumption rates.
The last property tax increase was a one per cent bump in 2018.
Mayor Roy Ludwig said council thought it was important to hold the line on property taxes.
“COVID has a lot to do with it,” Ludwig told the Mercury. “A lot of people are hurting right now. They’ve gone through a very tough time with not being able to see their family or their relatives.”
Other people have lost their jobs due to COVID.
“We felt that at this time, if we can hold the line, let’s do it,” said Ludwig. “That’s one less issue that our people, that our community, has to deal with.”
One move that council did make was to trim the third party grants to $1,322,771, which is the same amount that was awarded in 2020, and then they will have to make a presentation to council to discuss the funding. The 2021 budget initially called for more than $1.4 million.
However, the different organizations will still receive the scheduled first quarter payment, because they rely on the money.
“With a lot of these committees, again because of COVID, they haven’t been doing what they would normally be doing, and in some cases, they have been getting grants from the federal government,” said Ludwig.
Councillor Travis Frank noted that some of the organizations had some surpluses from last year, but there were also reductions to some funding. He knows some organizations have dream projects that they would like to complete, and he wondered what some of those dream projects could be.
He cited a large collection of city-owned art at the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum that is not articled or insured because of funding. It sits in a back room when it could be on tour.
Frank was the first to suggest approving the overall amount for third party grants, then calling the agencies in and asking them what they’ll do in 2021 and how they would use the funds.
“I think that might be a great way to maybe utilize this year to our advantage,” said Frank.
Councillor Shelly Veroba added council still has questions that haven’t been answered about a couple of the groups, so it’s important to have a special meeting to find out if they have COVID back-up plans.
“We’re there to help and support the groups. We’re not there to build bank accounts,” said Veroba.
Ludwig suggested council might pass a bylaw requiring groups to come to council ahead of budget to explain why they need funding.
“We’re asking for accountability and we’re asking for transparency,” said Ludwig.
Veroba noted that the province funds a lot of these groups, and she hears from taxpayers who are concerned that some agencies are receiving provincial and local funding.
Councillor Kirsten Walliser said she has been pleased with the discussion she has heard on the boards she is part of. Some of them submitted requests in October, and have received government subsides since then.
She said she likes the idea of bringing them and asking them what they will do with the money.
“Looking at the budgets that they submit to us, I know confidently that there are at least five groups that substantially increased their cash reserve last year, and don’t actually have the ability to spend it this year,” said Walliser.
Many of these groups have the same volunteers and they provide services to the same community, so Walliser said council is trying to find partnerships.
The budget was initially discussed at a special meeting in January. It was shared on the city’s website a few days later, and council asked the public for feedback.
The Estevan Chamber of Commerce wanted to know whether the Churchill Playpark would still have a paddling pool after repairs are made. Ward said it would.
The other question was whether Bay Meadows would regain a greenspace. Ward said that has not been discussed, but there used to be a park in the subdivision until it was developed as part of a townhouse development.
There was also a request from a different individual on the police budget, and whether it’s comparable with other police forces of a similar size. There were also concerns with Estevan Police Service patrolling outside the city through the Combined Traffic Services of Saskatchewan, which also includes the RCMP.
Those concerns will be forwarded to the police board.
Walliser noted that she received a concern about city crews removing snow with a small amount of snow on the roads. She said she used to share those concerns, but the efforts are for preventative maintenance, as keeping snow off the road reduces accumulated moisture on the pavement.
The mayor added it reduces the number of potholes, and the work falls within city crews’ regular hours.
Ludwig noted that this year’s budget can still be subject to change. There are a couple of significant grants the city is still pursuing.
The first would be for additional pathways in the community, which Ludwig said would be a $4 million project. The city would have to come up with $1 million if Estevan is awarded the grant, which is from the federal government. .
The other would be for a resurfacing of Fourth Street from Souris Avenue South to 13th Avenue, and possibly all the way to 16th Avenue, through a provincial grant. The last time that area of Fourth Street was resurfaced was in 2006.
Ludwig said it would likely cost approximately $500,000 for the city.
“I think the base is still good, it would just be refreshing and resealing the top,” said Ludwig.
The mayor said the staff did a good job of putting together this year’s document, and he’s looking forward to further discussion regarding the third-party grants.
