Mayor Says Budget Is All About Building A Better City
“We are trying to grow this city to create more jobs and make it more affordable,” Mayor Clive Tolley said at Thursday afternoon’s news conference to discuss the 2022 Budget.
The Budget features plenty of spending on capital projects as well as on the operating side what could be described as a hefty property tax increase.
At the present time, unless it is amended at a later Council meeting, the Budget will see a property tax increase of 5.45 percent, an increase in water and sewer rates of three (3) three percent and a $35 increase in the infrastructure levy from $65 to $100 for every property in the city.
The 5.45 percent property tax increase will raise an additional $1,693,616.17 in revenue for the $31,075,526 Operating Budget.
The property tax increase also includes a 1.6 percent increase to the Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS) that will help fund the three new officers and new initiatives (that have not been made public) to crack down on what was portrayed as a rapidly growing crime problem - property, sexual assault and drugs - during the budget discussions.
In total the MJPS will receive the largest share of City money in key service areas with $12,157,716 (22.55 percent of the City’s Operating Budget) paid for policing.
On the Capital Side of the equation the City will spend $26,239,075 on infrastructure notably $8.6 million on roads, bridges and other traffic infrastructure.
Additionally there will be a monthly increase of 38 cents for solid waste collection raising the monthly fee to $9.99 per month. But the increase in fee will also mean the City will have weekly garbage collection in October.
On the recreation side of the equation there is good news if you play pickleball with the City spending $285,000 to build six pickleball courts just south of the Kinsmen Sportsplex.
And the Moose Jaw Humane Society will receive $15,000 to subsidize low income people spay or neuter their cats. It is a move to nip the problem of an overabundance of cats at the Humane Society in the bud.
Asked about the impact on the less fortunate and the approximately 60 percent of residents stating they had financial problems due to the COVID - 19 pandemic in a recent City survey by MJ Independent Mayor Tolley said he had empathy for everyone.
“I’m concerned for all of our citizens. We see people outside and those less fortunate,” he said, adding although we see people out on the streets in reality most are not really homeless but have a place to go to.
Mayor Tolley continued that during the budget deliberations the impact on home owners of less economic means was also on his mind. He mentioned his late mother, Marion Tolley, who fought against base taxation as it heavily impacted people of less economic means.
“We are not immune to (their feelings)…it’s a difficult thing we want people (to be able to) stay in their homes,” he said.
“If we can invest in all of these good things in our community it is a good trade off,” the Mayor said after listing the initiatives the Budget will allow to make Moose Jaw a better place.
“What we are trying to grow in Moose Jaw is create a scenario where people move here.”
Asked by MJ Independent about Councillor Dawn Luhning’s comments of using a draw down of reserve funds investment earnings to pay the $35 infrastructure levy increase and given it is a tough year on so many the Mayor said when cast iron replacement funding was fought over the decision to move to a levy so people all paid an equal share was highly supported.
“When it comes to reserves we have to be highly prudent how to take money out of there,” he said.
Mayor Tolley and City Manager both said they had empathy for the tough economic times many are feeling and the Budget was drawn up to improve the City economically so people could have good jobs.
For those who were going through tough economic times they said there were jobs in Moose Jaw that were going unfilled - 30 people for Thunder Creek Pork, 30 people needed at the under construction SaskPower natural gas fired generating plant and 10 casual jobs at Mosaic Place to help people ern extra money.
“We are working hard to create opportunities here.”
Mayor Tolley pointed to the many projects and equipment the reserves would have to finance.
“I think if they are important projects it is a wise choice to use these reserves (on them), that is why we built these reserves.”
The Mayor did not see increased taxes and subsequent spending as spending but rather it was putting money back into the community.
“We are not looking at it as spending but we are looking at it as investing…we don’t just see it as spending money just to spend money,” he said.
In the area of the equipment reserve Mayor Tolley pointed out the major impact the City’s investment strategy had helped by earning higher than target returns on the invested reserve funds.
Mayor Tolley called drawing up the 2022 Operating Budget as very much a balancing act when it came to spending and to spend funds where the citizens want it to be spent but at the same time spend it wisely.
Asked about justifying the jump in taxes Mayor Tolley said you had look at the previous three years and how the average property taxes of all three years had he City being reasonable when it came to taxes.
Mayor Tolley said the tax increase could at least be partially blamed on so may years of 0 tax increases and no funds to get anything done.
He emphasized the new initiatives and how things such as pickleball courts, recreation facilities and the numerous projects being completed were actually signs of things improving in Moose Jaw.