Ward 5 Coun. Randy Donauer cited the city’s current debt level as City Council considered the Saskatoon Public Library board's request to borrow just over $87 million from the city for a new library.

“The level of our debt is low compared to lots of other cities but it’s troublesome for our constituents,” Donauer said at Monday’s meeting.

He said he wants to know how borrowing that much money will affect the city’s future borrowing and credit rating.

Some city councilors were also concerned about the timing of this proposal, as the city is only two months away from budget deliberations.

The proposed cost of the new Central Library is $154 million. The Saskatoon Public Library board on Monday presented their business proposal to council.

Aside from borrowed money, additional funding would come from public library reserve funds, fundraising and money from the sale of the current site.

If the board is able to borrow the necessary funds, the design of the library would undergo development starting next year, with construction beginning in 2022 and an expected opening in 2026.

The proposed new Central Library would include both indoor and outdoor green spaces, a children’s playground, public meeting space, a café operated by a tenant and displays for public art and history.

There would also be a mix of quiet and animated areas for use by both groups and individuals. Saskatoon Public Library plans to add up to 100,000 items in their circulation upon opening.

Lisa Erickson, chair of the Saskatoon Public Library board, said the group continues to work alongside City Council and is determined to connect people to people and people to information.

“I believe council is doing what council needs to be doing to contribute to democratic decision-making here in Saskatoon,” she said.

“We’re so happy to continue to work with them as key strategic partners, to ensure that their questions are answered and we want to make sure that the public’s questions are answered with regard to this project as well.”

In 2018, Saskatoon saw 1.6 million visitors and 3.3 million items in circulation as a total of the existing branches in the city. Saskatoon is one of the only cities in Canada with a AAA credit rating.