COCHRANE— The Cochrane Budget 2021-23 faced its final scrutiny from council before its concluding approval at the last regular council meeting of 2020 on Monday (Dec.14).
The budget includes $60.79 million for operating expenses and $49.4 million for 2021 capital projects. The budget also includes operating support for the Cochrane Public Library, Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre and Cochrane Tourism.
The budget passed unanimously after two hours of debate and a defeated amendment.
Mayor Jeff Genung said he is proud council delivered a budget that offered a zero per cent tax increase for Cochranites in 2021, while finding a way to balance the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Council has faced an extremely challenging year given COVID-19’s economic and social impact on the community, Genung said, and it was disappointing to see the budget debate break down during the last council meeting of the year.
“It was not our finest hour as a group and I’m disappointed that’s how we ended this year,” Genung said. “We’ve done a really good job this year being a diverse group with differing opinions on things and we’ve shared those in a respectful way and we all hear each other and try to find a way through that finds consensus.”
Genung said council had what he believed to be a meaningful conversation in the initial November budget debate and council was able to sit with the document for almost a month before final approval.
Before concluding the 2021-23 Cochrane Budget, Councillor Tara McFadden questioned if the document had put too much emphasis on traffic infrastructure at the expense of recreation and culture opportunities in Cochrane.
Transportation is the number one infrastructure challenge in Cochrane, McFadden said, but the push has come at a cost to parks and recreation.
"I want to see the same amount of energy or at least some of that energy also focussed on the other gaps in our community," McFadden said. "What I'm trying to be right now is the champion for our parks and for our recreation groups that want to be able to have a solution that they can be a part of for new playing fields."
McFadden asked if a strategy could be used to fund a position in the 2021 budget that would help guide parks and recreation in Cochrane. She suggested $100,000 could be taken from the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre funding or from reserves to fund a position for Community Services.
"I really feel that the community needs a champion for sports, recreation and culture in this upcoming year," McFadden said. "At this point passing a budget that doesn't in some way give marching orders to support community services doesn't support what I've always wanted to do which is to champion a complete community."
McFadden's requested amendment to create a Community Services position in the budget was defeated.
The Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre was the most debated item of the evening as some councillors continued to question the operating cost of the facility.
It was disappointing to see the budget of the facility once again become a hot topic, Genung said. Council approved $1.7 million in funding for the facility for 2021.
“I felt that we did the work over the past couple of months to get everyone to an understanding that we need to work with the board [the Spray Lakes Sawmills Recreation Park Society], understand some of their costs better, understand some of the capital requests and move forward,” Genung said. “Now we just need to be patient and allow that work to happen … For the relationship to change.”
Genung added the Town of Cochrane is working on their relationship with Rocky View County when it comes to their relationship as co-owners of the facility. The municipalities are currently working on an agreement about the operations and funding of the facility.
“Those are underway, but they are taking too long, to be frank, and COVID has just magnified some of that,” Genung said. “The conversation needs to happen sooner or later.”
He noted the Town of Cochrane is using the Municipal Operating Support Transfer grant from the province to help fund the sports centre's operating costs due to COVID-19 and hopes Rocky View County as co-owners of the facility will help assist in funding some of the costs.
Included in the budget is an increase in utility rates. The annual average impact is anticipated to be $3.33 per month for the average homeowner. Genung said he expects residents adversely affected by the fee increases will have the opportunity to speak with Town administration if they cannot afford the changes, as they do with property taxes.
Genung said that while a great financial weight has been put toward traffic infrastructure if you look over the long-term there is a balance between recreation and providing services to the community.
The improvements along the 1A Highway are estimated to cost $12.9 million. The infrastructure project will be funded using the $3.5 million Municipal Operating Support Transfer grant, $6.96 million in off-site levies and $2.45 million in tax-supported debt.
To facilitate the 1A Highway upgrades council passed a borrowing bylaw at the end of the meeting. The estimated annual repayments on the loan will be $205,000 and the debt will be due toward the end of the project in 2022.
Coun. Morgan Nagel said the Town of Cochrane had found a "great spot" with the 2021-23 Budget that was financially responsible and focussed on the core services in Town.
He noted the budget was able to invest in traffic while supporting recreation through the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre.
"There has been a clear message from our community over the past four or five years that expanding our traffic infrastructure is most people's number one priority," Nagel said. "I think that it's great we've been able to continue delivering on infrastructure while also keeping taxes at a reasonable rate."
