Council must save to make up for big instrastructure spending
Council finishes infrastructure budget talks, starts to cut costs elsewhere
City council plans to build a lot of new projects over the next three years, and now they have to figure out how they’re going to pay for it without overtaxing property owners.
Some of the projects that have been added to the capital budget:
- Lewis Farms Community Recreation Centre
- Coronation Community Recreation Centre and Velodrome
- Africa Multicultural Centre
- Smartbus
- Whitemud widening
- Kihciy Askiy Sacred Earth
- Fire Station #21 (Rossdale)
- Police helicopter replacement
- Stanley Milner Library renovations
- Winspear expansion
- Telus world of science expansion
- West Edmonton Mall transit centre
- Heritage Valley park and ride
- 102nd Avenue bikeway
- High Level Bridge suicide barriers
So far, councillors have added enough projects to the capital budget to raise the proposed tax increase to about 5.7 per cent as of noon on Friday.
But as capital budget talks came to a close, Mayor Don Iveson warned the tax increase is still going to change drastically as operating budget talks begin.
The Edmonton Police Service has asked to hire another 84 officers next year, which would pump the increase up by another one per cent.
“I know there’s no appetite for a six per cent tax increase,” he said.
In total, the city approved more than 20 new projects, ranging from bike lanes to recreation centres.
“We’ve made some commitments around infrastructure that I think are very, very important," Iveson said.
“Edmontonians have been clear with us that they do not want us to fall behind on infrastructure again.”
Council also tried to put at least some money toward projects they couldn't fund in full, such as the new recreation centre in the city's west end.
Council can still go back and revise the plans they’ve made for the capital budget over the last several days.
The deadline for final budget approval is December 12.