Acting Mayor Says Pandemic's Impact Still Needs To Be Considered At Budget Time

The annual citizen’s budget survey has shown the financial impact of the COVID - 19 pandemic has affected a large percentage of the 468 respondents and it is something the Acting Mayor says Council needs to be aware of in budget discussions.

Asked by MJ Independent during Monday evening’s post Council meeting media scrum if the survey’s results showing over 50 percent of respondents have or will experience negative financial effects of COVID - 19 and how that could play out in the upcoming 2022 Budget discussions Acting Mayor Dawn Luhning said it would be something she would take into consideration.

SOURCE - City of Moose Jaw on-line survey

“I think we definitely will or at least I will as one of your councillors take the on-gong pandemic into consideration and those statistics about some of our citizens they are still suffering or going through difficult times because of the pandemic we should absolutely be taking it into consideration,” she said.

The most recent quarterly report showed growing tax arrears although more property owners have moved to a payment scheme. At that time Council was told the rise in tax arrears was due to the economic effects of the COVID -19 pandemic.

“Yeah sure, right you know that’s you know tax arrears should always be concerning for a council right. That’s something that is out of our control really we just have to, you know tax arrears are tax arrears right you just have to deal with it the way we deal with it,” Acting Mayor Luhning said in response to a question by MJ Independent during the September 13th post Council meeting media scrum.

Asked on Monday evening about the large percentage of respondents - 37.82 percent or 177 out of the 468 survey respondents - who lost their jobs or took a financial hit due to the COVID - 19 pandemic and if that might be taken into consideration when drafting the Budget she said it would.

“Well again we have to consider that when we are looking at budget policies and what we are going to implement going into 2022. Consider for residents and businesses alike the difficult times we have come through,” Acting Mayor Luhning said.