A mill rate adjustment in the 2022 budget means Air Ronge taxpayers will pay $150 more per year. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

2022 budget

Air Ronge to install 20 street cameras to curb local crime

Apr 22, 2022 | 2:09 PM

The Village of Air Ronge has finalized their 2022 budget which will include some items that will address safety and crime in the community.

Twenty closed-circuit television cameras will be installed at strategic locations throughout Air Ronge at the cost of $60,000.

“I think our community is at a place where, unfortunately, we need to have something like this,” Air Ronge Mayor Julie Baschuk said. “We know that our crime numbers are increasing. We had our major tragic incident in January, which naturally has shaken a lot of people and what their comfort is within their own homes, which is something we don’t want our residents to feel.”

Baschuk explained the municipality has been unsuccessful in other endeavours to address crime and safety in the past, but noted installing surveillance cameras in the village has support from an RCMP and crime reduction standpoint. She added such cameras exist in other municipalities and residents don’t need to be concerned about privacy infringement.

The camera system will be installed by SaskTel and monitored by SecurTek. Baschuk would like to see the cameras installed some time this summer. The village currently also has a rebate in place for residents who want to install a home security camera or outdoor motion sensor lights on their property.

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“Our council is fully supportive in hopefully being able to provide some level and feeling of being safer knowing that our streets are being watched,” she said.

The new spending was revealed in the 2022 operating and capital budget approved on Thursday. Council decided on an increase of one mill, which will bring in additional revenue of $70,000. Residents can expect to pay an extra $150 per year on their taxes.

There will be a surplus of approximately $270,000 and reserves sit at about $4 million.

Other spending in the budget includes $128,000 for fire protection, $120,000 for lighting and concrete work, $47,000 for the new position of accounts clerk and $32,000 for strategic planning. The total for wages and benefits for employees is $328,000.

“We will also be continuing the work we have been doing at Heritage Park and the Heritage Trail, and we will most likely be pulling funds out of our reserves around the $200,000 mark,” Baschuk said.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @saskjourno