City operating budget review begins Monday

Lethbridge City Council will convene as Finance Committee beginning Monday to start on the City of Lethbridge 2021-22 Operating Budget Review.

City council this week voted unanimously to set a target for a zero per cent property tax rate increase and a zero per cent utility rate increase for 2021. Council also voted unanimously to direct administration to implement KPMG-identified workforce reductions over a three-year period, using a combination of attrition and retirement, to achieve a $5 million of savings in salaries and benefits.

“As Finance Committee, we have some very difficult decisions to make,” says Coun. Rob Miyashiro, who as current Deputy Mayor will chair the Operating Budget Review deliberations. “It’s important to look at our expenditures and our current service levels, especially now during the COVID pandemic, to ensure the budget reflects the new economic environment we are all living in.”

The agenda can be found at

https://agendas.lethbridge.ca/.

The 2021-22 Operating Budget Review will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Monday. The meeting will recess by 5 p.m. each day and reconvene at 9 a.m. the following day. The deliberations are open to the public to watch can be found online at agendas.lethbridge.ca or on Shaw TV Lethbridge. Residents can also follow live updates on Twitter through the City Clerk’s account at @LethCityClerk (https://twitter.co m/LethCityClerk).