Humboldt council approves 2020 budget, 2.4 per cent tax increase

Similar sized communities such as Melfort and Nipawin are looking at tax increases between the two to three per cent range during their respective budget discussions.

Spending

The City of Humboldt budgeted for $16,490,000 in revenue, which includes $9,352,450 in taxation and grants, and the rest coming from user fees, interest, and agreements with other agencies and municipalities. Minus $12,596,940 in operational expenses and $485,660 in loan repayment, the city was left with $3,047,400 to put towards reserves or capital projects.

City Manager Joe Day said they make debt payments of nearly $600,000 each year, with around $400,000 coming from tax-based revenues and $200,000 from utility-based options. The debt repayment is projected to be around $318,000 per year by 2022.

“We’re making a concerted effort to not take out new debt and to pay off the debt the city has engaged in the past,” Day said. “As the years go by and we have less commitments through long-term debt payments, it will free up the cash for current years spending for capital and other types of operations.”

Just under $4 million will be spent on waste and water, around $3 million on recreation and leisure, and nearly $2 million on transportation. Both general government and protective services will see around $1.5 million spent, cultural services nearly $800,000 and around $700,000 for public health.

Projects

Humboldt’s largest singular project in 2020 will be the completion of Centennial Park at $1.8 million. It includes fencing, ball diamonds, two parking lots, trail development, and partial paving to the main parking lot for 180 vehicles.

Muench said the completion of Centennial Park has been on council’s plate for numerous years, as he acknowledged there are safety issues for the park’s users.

“Right now, we have a dangerous situation where a number of people are walking alongside the highway to get out there,” he said. “This will bring that all down into the park and we’re going to have a nice trail system that people can access into the city.”

Just over $2 million will be spent on watermain replacements and work on roads and lift stations. Muench said the funding is separate from the road patching programs the city does annually.

While $4,059,800 from Humboldt’s reserves will be spent on capital projects, Day said the city will only see a $1,012,400 net draw due to the $3,047,400 from the 2020 budget being put into reserves. He said the city has approximately $6 million in reserves.

Some projects still on council’s agenda for future budgets include the city’s lagoon wastewater project, outdoor ice surfaces, and revitalization of Seventh St. in downtown Humboldt.

“Those types of projects seem to be every year,” Muench said. “There were certain projects we would have liked to cover off in our capital investments this year, but they were considered as non-funded. What we do is try to get as many as we can for that year and defer things to the next year. Hopefully as we knock those projects off the news ones coming in behind them are going to be funded for the next year.”

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aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow

by Aaron Schulze

Humboldt council approves 2020 budget, 2.4 per cent tax increase

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