2011 Budget

2011 City Budget Thoughts

This year’s budget I was really proud of from an overall City perspective. From a Ward perspective, I was not happy with the lack of infrastructure spending although I am getting a 20,000 overhead crosswalk sign with flashing lights on the corner of Small Avenue and Water Street East. This is the first budget process I have been involved in where I found Council really took the bull by the horns and invested in planning which will set a new course of where we are going as a community.

Highlights

-14 per cent reduction in electrical rates
- no increase in water and sewer fees
- no increase in recreational facilities rates
-no increase in non-commercial tax rates
-two cent reduction in commercial rates
-over $2 million for Water Street redevelopment
-$225,000 for sidewalk reconstruction
-$159,000 for new equipment for police and fire department
- $271,000 for grandstand replacement at Queen Elizabeth Park
- $250,000 for Phase 2 of the BMX bike park
- $820,000 to complete west end trail development project.
-$426,000 to various organizations within the city

Strategic Planning
One item I lobbied the last council for was a Master Plan/Operational review of our Community Services Department. What are the goals and objectives of the department? What is the vision for the department? What should we be focusing on? I could not tell you and this is my 5th municipal budget. Finally, council approved a plan for this department and I am quite happy with that. This plan will involve extensive consultation. Council is also investing 50,000 to review and develop our arts, culture and heritage products. There will also be a review of our Police Services Department. I voted for this the last council when Councillor Dowling brought this forward and I was pleased to support this again. We are also updating the strategic plan and continuing with phase 2 of our economic development strategy. Total cost for all these plans will be 155,000. It is important for a new council to make its mark and these plans will do just that. All these plans will involve public consultation.

Animal Control
When I went into this budget process, I knew my best friend/pet Nicki was going to die from terminal cancer. I wanted to do something in this budget for pets and pet owners in the City and also to honor my friend Nicki who passed away on March 19th. I was proud to support the elimination of dog and cat license fees. By doing so, hopefully it will encourage people to register their pets with the City. The other item I was proud to lobby for in the budget was a 1500 grant for Spay PEI, which assists low income residents helping them to spay their pets.
These are just some of the highlights. I will add more comments on various aspects in the coming days.

Good news budget for city

Journal Pioneer
Summerside City Hall
Published on March 28, 2011

Mike Carson
Summerside’s new look city council has made its mark on the budget by reducing the commercial tax rate by two cents per $100 of assessment from $1.92 to $1.90 and holding the line on non-commercial property tax rates and water and sewer charges.
Council has also dropped electric rates by 14 per cent to match Maritime Electric’s reduction.
Deputy Mayor Bruce MacDougall delivered the good news budget Monday night at the annual meeting to a packed city hall.
“I am very pleased that we were able to maintain the tax rate, hold the line on taxes,” MacDougall said. “And I was very pleased with the incentive we put in there to reduce the commercial rates. The commercial tax reduction is a small move, but it’s a move that helps everyone. There are a lot of good things in this budget.”
MacDougall pointed to the city’s decision not to increase user fees at any of the recreational facilities including Credit Union Place.
While many may see the power rate reduction this year as move generated by Maritime Electric, the city was able to match that reduction because of the success of its wind generation capacity. Without that wind power, city residents would have had to wait until 2012 to see any power rate reduction. It allowed the city to reduce its reliance on imported electricity by about 50 per cent over the past few years.
MacDougall said the city is bound to honour the terms of its power purchase agreement with Maritime Electric until 2012 and because of that has budgeted a deficit in the electric utility of $896,000 for 2011.
“We anticipate that this will be offset in the later years of a new contract expected to be in place in the near future,” he said.
The amount of infrastructure dollars are less in this year’s budget than in previous years.
“That’s because the stimulus dollars have been pretty well allocated,” he said. “It’s back to what we can afford right now. It’s nice having one-third dollars (the other two thirds coming from the federal and provincial governments) but 100 per cent dollars, it makes a difference.”
Despite that, the city intends to complete the Water Street redevelopment project which will include replacing aging water and sewer lines as well as resurfacing the street, installing new sidewalks and lighting to enhance the city’s downtown core. The budget includes $512,000 to complete the rebuilding of Water Street between the Summerside Rotary Library and the intersection and the intersection at Harbour Drive and $1,539,000 to complete the rebuilding of downtown Water Street by doing the section from Granville Street to Summer Street of which $850,000 will be paid for in 2012. This planned work includes about $800,000 for ditch infilling.