MOOSE JAW — Purchasing snow traps for graders, installing a new parking lot fence and removing dead trees from Rosedale Cemetery and Smith Park are some special projects city administration will pursue this year.
Administration presented a report during the Jan. 27 budget meeting with 18 potential one-time operating and capital budget initiatives that city council could support using $300,000 in extra investment earnings.
The report contained nine items worth $381,000 that were already in the budget and nine items worth $605,228.33 that were not included in this year’s budget.
After discussion, council voted unanimously to allocate $65,000 to partially fund the Moose Jaw Police Service’s 2025 capital budget request; the total request is $344,000.
Furthermore, it voted 6-1 to allocate $10,000 to hire a consultant to create an indigenous procurement policy, $30,000 to hire a consultant to create an accessibility plan, $30,000 for recruitment services, and $25,000 to hire a consultant to acquire a federal grant.
Coun. Heather Eby was opposed.
Moreover, council voted:
- 5-2 to spend $16,500 to remove 51 dead mature trees from Rosedale Cemetery; opposed were councillors Dawn Luhning and Chris Warren
- 4-3 to spend $15,700 to remove 34 dead trees in Smith Park; opposed were Mayor James Murdock and Luhning and Warren
- 5-2 to spend roughly $42,000 to replace a wood fence around the city hall parking lot; councillors Warren and Jamey Logan were opposed
- Unanimously to spend $40,000 to purchase three snow traps for graders
With the remaining $25,800, council voted unanimously to keep that money invested for future initiatives.
Other initiatives
There were other in-budget initiatives that council declined to support, such as covering a Workers’ Compensation Board surcharge ($85,000), new signs for street sweeping and winter maintenance ($25,000) and three water/wastewater projects totalling $136,000.
Some non-budgeted items included rail crossing upgrades at 24th Avenue ($32,908.33), a feasibility study for zero-emission buses ($38,120), audio-visual updates in the Events Centre conference room ($70,000), cemetery irrigation upgrades ($225,000) and adding a fifth dressing room at the Kinsmen Arena ($125,000).
Council even considered using investment earnings to cover $95,135 in extra requests from some third-party groups.
A birthday present
Having an extra $300,000 is like receiving a birthday present since council can use it to support projects it wouldn’t normally do, said Eby.
She wanted that money used on initiatives that residents could see, such as removing dead trees and repairing wood fences. Moreover, since council regularly receives complaints about snow removal, purchasing new equipment would show residents that councillors are listening.
Coun. Chris Warren also thought it was great to have this earnings surplus, which he thought was a good news story since it helped council reduce the mill rate and lessened the effect on taxpayers.
Unsightly fences
Some councillors expressed concern about the high cost of replacing the wood fence and wondered whether it could be removed.
Administration replied that the estimated cost includes removing the structure and adding a barrier so motorists don’t drive over the sidewalk into the parking lot.
Coun. Logan, who operates a fencing business, added that that work also includes removing the posts and repairing asphalt.
Eby said she noticed the fence’s condition recently and thought it “looks horrible” with all the missing wood slats. While the proposed cost may be high, any leftover funding would be reinvested. Also, she noted that a second nearby wood fence “looks equally as lovely” in condition.
“These are city structures and it’s embarrassing,” she said, pointing out that tourists who shop downtown park in those wood-fenced lots.
Contract negotiations
Logan expressed concern about using one-time funding for the extra third-party requests, especially for the Humane Society, which wants extra money for its spay and neuter program. He then inquired about when the city could renegotiate that contract.
The agreement is for 25 years and should be revisited every five years, so opening it to renegotiate is a possibility, said finance director Brian Acker. That would be the appropriate thing to do instead of giving the organization a one-time sum of $15,000.
One concern with just covering that cost, though, is that all third-party groups could make the same argument that their operating expenses have risen and they want increases too, which would set a precedent, he added.
