Donauer doesn’t expect to like the answers, but wants options for cutting spending
With budget talks looming, Saskatoon’s finance committee is looking for ways to save money.
The City is looking at proposed indicative property tax rate of 5.96 per cent in 2022 and 5.42 per cent in 2023.
A city report says those numbers include phase-in funding for both the Bus Rapid Transit and the solid waste and organics program and maintaining existing services.
The indicative rate can be changed during City Council budget deliberations, which are scheduled for November.
During a special finance committee meeting on Tuesday, city administration said non-tax revenues have not kept up with expenditures which is putting more pressure on property taxes to make up the shortfall.
Coun. Randy Donauer voiced concerns about the proposed property tax increases considering how many residents and businesses have struggled since the pandemic began.
“I do think that there is an appetite, until we get through this and there is a healthy economy in Saskatoon, I think that City Hall might need to take more drastic measures. And so I’m more on the page of let’s bring some of our expenditures down.”
Donauer wants to know what options there are to reduce spending, which may include looking at service levels.
“I would like some reports back with some options. I’m probably not going to like that report. And it probably will create no small stir in the community. It usually does. But I actually do think I owe it to my residents to debate and decide those tough decisions.”
Mayor Charlie Clark said he understands the budget challenges the city is facing.
“I hear and see and experience the stress of what were facing when it comes to this budget coming up. And I also take very seriously the reality of the structural issues that we’re facing.”
Clark noted the last couple of property tax increases have been relatively low compared to previous years.
The committee approved a motion from Donauer asking administration to report back on what other cities like Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg have done to reduce property tax increases.
Coun. Bev Dubois put forward a motion for administration to report back on capital and operational spending approved by city council not related to core services, which was also passed by the committee.
A date for a future special finance committee meeting will be set to discuss the information in those reports.
Do you have a story idea or news tip? Email us.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.