Lots to talk about when council hosts public budget session

NEWS — City council hosts its final public budget meeting Tuesday, Feb. 25 and there will be lots to talk about.

The meeting, set for the Interior Savings Centre from 7 to 10 p.m., will focus on the supplementary budget, also known as the “wish list.”

These are regarded as items that are desirable but not essential, at least in the coming year.

At a Tuesday morning session in council chambers this week, council heard from staff that the core budget includes a 1.87 percent property tax increase. That will go up depending on what council decides with additional items such as $260,000 for studies on a new performing arts centre, improvements to Riverside Park, transit service upgrades and a new RCMP member to focus on domestic violence.

Some councilors were reluctant to commit $260,000 to preliminary work on a performing arts centre when a building site hasn’t yet been identified. While the Henry Grube Centre has been discussed publicly as a desirable site, City staff are reportedly concerned about access issues. Developing a “cultural zone” in the downtown core is favoured by others.

At the Feb. 25 meeting, the City’s finance department will provide an overview of the supplementary list, and then council and senior staff will join the public in a roundtable format.

Feedback will be recorded for information when council makes its final decisions on the 2014 budget and tax rate. It will discuss the budget again March 25.