A challenging balancing act

OUR EDITORIAL: WHAT WE THINK Choosing projects for CIP means tough decisions

It’s an exercise not unlike managing your household finances, except that the numbers are bigger. Members of Lethbridge City Council had some difficult decisions to make during the latest Capital Improvement Program budgeting process which was completed Tuesday. More than 100 projects in total were proposed, including $284 million in community projects. However, there was only enough money to approve new community projects amounting to less than onequarter of that figure — $62.6 million — for the 2018-27 CIP.

Among the big-ticket items, the CIP includes a previously approved $35.5 million for Phase 2 of the ATB Centre, and, in the category of new community projects, $17 million for a Transit/Regional Park ’n Ride Terminal to be built downtown, and $9.8 million for a new westside Fire Station #5.

You can be sure not everyone will be happy with all of city council’s CIP decisions. Some residents will be displeased that certain projects failed to make the cut, while others will disagree with projects that received approval. But that’s the nature of the process. As the saying goes, you can’t please everyone.

The harsh reality is there’s only so much money to go around, and when the cost of the wish list exceeds the amount of money available, some things have to go. To return to the household budget analogy, when Dad wants a new big-screen television and Mom wants a Hawaiian vacation, but the house needs a new roof, the family vehicle needs new tires and the hot water tank needs replacing, it might mean the “wants” will have to be put onto the back burner.

It’s a similar situation for city council when considering the CIP. There are certain things that are “musts.” Often, infrastructure and maintenance projects take priority over “quality of life” items. That’s not to say cultural and recreational amenities aren’t important. They have a valuable role to play in making a community livable, and that can play an economic role by attracting residents and businesses who, in turn, contribute to a community’s financial well-being.

But just as families must tend to providing the basics of food and shelter before spending money on luxury items, city council has the responsibility to ensure the necessities are covered before putting funds toward “extras.” It’s a challenging balancing act, one made more difficult during tough economic times. Continuing ripples from the downturn in the oilpatch mean provincial funding to municipalities is less certain, and that funding instability creates additional headaches for communities in trying to budget for the future.

While council members are elected to make those tough decisions, residents are given opportunities to offer their input prior to the CIP process. Stakeholder meetings were held to give citizens a chance to examine proposed projects and provide their views in order to help give council additional direction in making budget decisions.

At the end of the day, while citizens are certainly free to disagree with council’s decisions, it’s worth remembering that selecting projects for the Capital Improvement Program is a long and involved process. There’s much to take into consideration and it looks a lot easier from the outside, like calling plays for your favourite football team from the comfort of your easy chair.

Actually being in the game is another matter entirely.

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