City Council shaves projected funding gap by $21.6 million in 2024 and $1.6 million in 2025; additional reduction measures on deck for August meeting
Saskatoon City Council’s Governance and Priorities Committee(GPC), comprised of the Mayor and all City Councillors, made significant progress today at the second of three planned Special Budget Meetings to reduce the projected funding gap the City would face in the 2024-2025 Multi-Year Business Plan and Budget.
After reductions of $21.6 million in 2024 and $1.6 million in 2025, the remaining gap to be addressed in future budget meetings has been lowered to $29.2 million and $20.05 million.
So far, GPCs reductions if left unmitigated would translate into a 9.96% property tax increase for 2024 and 6.17% in 2025 -- that’s down from the original starting projected property tax rates of 17.33% and 6.25% respectively.
The Administration presented several reports, from which GPC recommended the following measures be integrated into the 2024/2025 Preliminary 2024/2025 Multi-Year Business Plan and Budget:
- Limit inflationary increases to 25% of the programs projected requirements for Roadways, Facilities Maintenance, Saskatoon Light and Power’s Maintenance Requirements and Fire Apparatus Replacement
- Defer phase-ins for future operating impacts for fire halls, the East Leisure Centre and expansion of Transit to growing neighborhoods’ which will be addressed in the future years when they are operationally required
- Lowering the City’s Corporate Fuel Estimates by $0.15 per litre
- Adjustments to the City’s plan to repay the 2022 Emergency Snow Response and build funding for future responses
- Increase Parking Rates by $0.50/hour
- Transfer the cost of Parking App User Fees to the end user
- No increases for City Yard Security funding
- Defer increases for Roadway Maintenance Training positions
- Defer increases for paved roadways and sidewalk maintenance positions
- Defer increases for snow and ice management positions
- Defer increases for new street sweeping positions
- Defer increases for transportation services positions
- Limit inflationary increases in the snow and ice management program to $300,000 in 2024 and $350,000 in 2025
- No increases for inflation in street cleaning and sweeping program
- No increases for funding for bus stop snow removal
- No increases for training funding for Saskatoon Transit
There is still much more work to do: GPC will discuss further budget reductions at another Special Budget Meeting scheduled on August 15. At this meeting, deferred business line reports relating to Community Support, Saskatoon Fire, Environmental Health, Taxation and General Revenue, Land Development and Arts, Culture and Events Venues will be considered. Additional business lines reports relating to Corporate Support & Revenue, Recreation and Culture and Utilities are also planned to be presented at that time There may be additional Special Budget Meetings planned.
Council will also request that the Saskatoon Police Board of Commissioners and the Saskatoon Library Board put forward their respective draft budgets earlier than they normally would so that they can also be incorporated into future budget discussions.
An additional motion was passed to create a working group of Administration and Council members to meet with the Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce and the North Saskatoon Business Association to further discuss each group’s recommendations on reducing the 2024/2045 starting funding gap.
City Council will finalize the 2024/2025 Multi-Year Business Plan and Budget this November at its final budget review and deliberations.
For more facts and reliable information on the 2024/2025 Multi-Year Business Plan and Budget, please visit Saskatoon.ca/budget