MELFORT — It was a bittersweet for the Melfort city council as they wrapped up the final meeting of the 2016-20 council term.
There were well wishes and thank yous all around as the Oct. 19 meeting ended, with everyone lending their voice to praise the administration and each other for a term well done.
There was still business to attend to before some council would leave the table, possibly for good, including the tax collection comparative statement and the third quarter financial report.
According to the comparative statement brought forth by Sandy Peterson, the city’s treasurer, $7.27 million in taxes were collected so far in 2020 following $1.16 million collected in the month of September. This was due to the city council pushing back the tax penalty arrears from April 1, 2020 to Sept. 1, 2020 during the April 6 council meeting to financially assist residents due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The projected operations surplus going into the city’s fourth quarter was announced at $8,213 which is within the budget targets, reported Peterson, with surpluses also reported in the landfill fund and waste collection. The utility fund and the wellness centre are all projected to breakeven for 2020.
Mayor Rick Lang said staff and council responded well to financial pressure brought on by the pandemic, but it is far from over and the volatility of COVID-19 means they must remain vigilant.
“Some of this COVID-19 aftermath might potentially put us in a position of having a deficit in 2021 after we approve that operating budget. Nothing is for certain, unfortunately, we're in a very different time than we normally are.”
Lang said it was Melfort’s $357,447 share of the federal government’s $70.32 million Safe Restart Canada Plan that saved Melfort from an operational deficit. This funding was set up to help Canadian municipalities adjust to changes to their communities since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the closure of the Northern Lights Palace pool for the foreseeable future, part of this fund has been dedicated to floor replacement and deck resurfacing as a 2021 capital budget precommitment. The total project will cost $231,000 and will be paid for through Safe Restart and Facility Maintenance Reserve funding.
Other portions of the Safe Restart will go towards fire department turnout gear, tablets with VPN for remote access for city staff in case they will once again be working from home due to any further COVID-related city hall closures, and potential deficit financing to be designated for future funding needs. The city has $85,163 of the Safe Restart funding remaining. The city council will discuss how this money will be spent during budget discussions in 2021.
