By Cheryl Jahn

Finance and Audit options

Tough budget decisions coming

Dec 16, 2019 | 2:30 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Council will have some very tough decisions to make come the new year, following a recommendation from the Finance and Audit Committee.

During a special meeting, the committee was presented with a slightly modified suite of options for creating a safe, clean and inclusive downtown.

They include increasing the number of Bylaw Enforcement Officer by six ($523,040/.48% tax hike), covering the cost of additional security for downtown civic facilities, such as the Four Seasons Leisure Pool and the Rolling Mix Concrete Arena ($400,000 or .36% in taxes), beefing up personnel and equipment for camp removal ($501,800 or .46% in taxes).

All totalled, the enhancements to downtown would cost $2,6 million or 1.84% in taxes. That hike would come in addition to a tax hike of 2.32% to maintain existing services. However, Council’s Finance and Audit Committee has given Administration some homework in the lead up to the first budget meeting on January 6th.

“So we’ve got a series of service enhancements to improve safety, cleanliness and inclusion in the downtown. That means working to deal with the challenges that have been brought up at the December 2nd [Finance and Audit Committee] meeting,” explains Garth Frizzell, Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee meeting. “To finance that, we’re going to have to either increase taxes or reduce services. The motion that we passed today was to bring back to Council what kinds of services would we cut to try to raise the money to fund these new services for downtown.”

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Specifically, Administration will look at, though not exclusively, the snow removal budget as well as the road rehabilitation budget and the General Infrastructure Fund, which finances underground assets, such as water and sewer lines.

And the clock is ticking. The first budget meeting is on January 6th and a final budget needs to be submitted to Council by May 15th.