Council unanimously adopted the 2018 municipal budget at Monday night council, settling on a property tax increase of 3.06 per cent. The average household will see an increase of $5.41 per month or $65 per year. Out of the $53 million budget, $27.
Council unanimously adopted the 2018 municipal budget at Monday night council, settling on a property tax increase of 3.06 per cent.
The average household will see an increase of $5.41 per month or $65 per year. Out of the $53 million budget, $27.2 million is offset by revenues and $25.8 million comes from municipal taxes to achieve a balanced budget.
“It's a premonition of what's to come - that as a council we can debate, disagree, talk about it, say your piece and move on, ” said Mayor Jeff Genung, who earned a few wins - including more boots on the ground, increased communications and some savings on senior and management salaries.
Highlights of the budget include a boost in frontline services - including four new firefighters, three RCMP officers, a crime analyst, development officer, RancheHouse manager, assessor and a parks operator.
“Growth has had its cost on this community, ” said Genung on his unwillingness to budge on the hire of four new firefighters. “If we don't exercise leadership in this budget … then we are further adding to the problem. ”
Transit operations funding - amounting to $7 million or one per cent of the tax increase - was deferred until spring, following the work of the transit task force and term transit co-ordinator's report to council in June, where they will vote on whether or not to move ahead with buses and in what format.
One per cent has been added to the budget to boost facilities life cycling, which is sitting at around half of administration's eventual goal.
The Cochrane Public Library ($598,416), Rockyview Regional Handibus Society ($189,504) and Cochrane and Area Victim Services (CAVS; $60,000) were all granted their full funding requests - total community grants amount to $310,154.
A 45-minute in-camera session regarding personnel drove the council meeting into the later hours and resulted in paring administration's recommended 3.26 per cent tax hike down another fifth of a per cent with $50,000 in savings to mandatory contractual salary increases to manager and senior staff salaries.
Non-management or “boots on the ground ” salaries will not be affected by the decision. Market adjustments for management staff were reduced and senior management adjustments have been deferred until July 2018.
For two-term Coun. Morgan Nagel, this was the right move and a demonstration of strong leadership by mayor and council.
“Giving the people at the top of the organization big pay increases would send the wrong message to our staff and taxpayers. We understand that people in Cochrane are struggling financially, ” said Nagel.
“Our mayor and council showed some financial leadership by firstly agreeing to meet three times per month instead of twice, without changing our salary increases. We are working more, without paying ourselves more. We also asked our top managers to help us lead by example by us deferring their step salary increases. ”
Weekly garbage collection will continue, following some contentious debate during budget deliberations last month. This will result in an extra $1 per month cost per household.
Sewer and water rates were increased by $1.20 per year and pay-as-you-throw garbage bag rates up to $3 per bag, which equates to a 50 per cent or $1 per bag increase.
Couns. Alex Reed, Pat Wilson and Nagel were defeated in their votes to delay or phase-in the added firefighter costs over a two-year span; the trio were also defeated in voting against added communications staff and the boost in library funding - which they viewed as too excessive at 12 per cent.
The library board maintains that their per capita funding and facility size are well below the provincial average.
Total capital expenditures amount to $21.8 million, primarily funded through off-site levies with $100,000 coming from taxes.
Capital projects focus on addressing transportation needs, highlighted by $1.4 million for the Horse Creek railway pedestrian crossing and $300,000 to move up the Centre Avenue expansion pre-design, as well as the $15.4 million Bow River bridge south crossing project.
Coun. Morgan Nagel was pleased to see the transportation projects moved up the list, as well as to see budget funding to review the town's Municipal Development Plan - something that also sits well with Coun. Tara McFadden.
McFadden chimed in on Wilson's successful motion to remove $250,000 for a pickleball court in the East End - to be equally funded through provincial grant dollars and a voluntary parks levy with no tax implications - maintaining that available grant dollars for sports teams needs to be put forward on an even playing field.
McFadden said she will bring forward a motion in the new year to “create an open process by which council decides how to fund recreation and trails. ”
Couns. Nagel and Reed were unsuccessful in removing $140,000 from an MSI operating grant for a feasibility study on the public lands where the former town pool is being demolished on Fifth Avenue - what has been identified as a possible future arts/cultural site and something that fiscal conservatives on council advocate there is simply no money to pursue at this time following the pool/multisport expenditures.
Coun. Susan Flowers is chalking up the feasibility study as a win, as well as her successful boost in the seniors tax credit to $500 from $300, which comes with an $18,000 price tag.
“There are some seniors living on some pretty low incomes here, ” said Flowers, who was also pleased to see the library and CAVS receive their funding boosts.
All councillors agreed the budget was well-balanced and would keep better pace with growth while achieving some savings.
