Budget votes are important in a democracy

Don’t bother asking whether your Saskatoon city councillor voted for the 2018 budget. None of them technically voted for it.

City hall discontinued the practice of holding a final, official vote on the budget and property tax increase in 2015. The previous year, three city councillors voted against the 2015 budget with a property tax increase they considered too high.

The 2015 property tax increase of 5.34 per cent remained in place, following the 2014 increase of 7.34 per cent. The practice of holding a budget vote then ended.

So why should anyone care if council holds a final vote on the budget? Council voted for all the measures that contributed to the budget and 2018’s 4.7 per cent property tax increase. Council will eventually endorse the property tax increase, but it feels like some accountability has been lost.

Democracies place huge symbolic value on budget votes because they have the greatest impact on citizens. Look at the United States and its recent tax changes.

In Canada, a government at the provincial and federal level will collapse if it loses a budget vote.

In Saskatoon, city council votes on dozens of measures and reports each month, but not on the one that will be felt the most by residents.

A budget vote informs citizens about who is representing them on council, especially for those who are unable or unwilling to watch the hours of budget debates over several days in November.

We heard from several councillors throughout the year that residents did not have an appetite for a property tax increase near five per cent. Not only did they get such a tax increase, but they were deprived of the basic information needed to judge any politician at any level: Did he/she vote for the budget?

High property tax increases are becoming the norm in Saskatoon — and yes, they’re higher than in other similar municipalities. This year’s property tax increase was driven largely by the need to replace reduced revenue from the provincial government, but it’s still high. Tax increases have now averaged 5.25 per cent over five years, including 2018.

We heard from councillors that they were prepared to make tough decisions to avoid another big tax increase, but the toughest measure turned out to be postponing $1.2 million in increased spending on snow and ice management. As for other cities on the Prairies, Edmonton has targeted a 3.6 per cent property tax increase that included a continued freeze on management salaries and an effective hiring freeze. The City of Edmonton’s 52 new employees in 2018 will mostly staff new fire stations.

In Calgary, city council approved a 3.8 per cent increase in a budget that includes cuts to all city departments and the elimination of 156 full-time equivalent positions.

In Winnipeg, city council approved a 2.33 per cent property tax increase in a budget that also included hikes to bus fares and parking rates. The budget was approved in an 11-5 vote. Yes, a vote.

In Regina, they’re still struggling with the 2018 budget, having not yet even released a preliminary spending plan. After altering the 2017 budget midway through the year — as other municipalities, including Saskatoon, were forced to do after the March provincial budget — Regina city hall is likely working tirelessly to avoid another 6.5 per cent increase.

In Moose Jaw, residents are staring down a 4.05 per cent increase, but you probably won’t hear much about it since the city no longer has a newspaper.

Up in Prince Albert, city council just approved a budget that eliminated nine city hall positions, but kept the property tax increase to 1.5 per cent.

Saskatoon city council explored a 2018 hiring freeze, but a city report said it would not reduce the property tax increase substantially. The approved budget included a net increase of about 30 full-time employees.

Meanwhile, in Swift Current, residents are facing a 13.14 per cent property tax hike in 2018.

It was endorsed by Swift Current city council unanimously without debate, Mayor Denis Perrault told the Regina Leader-Post. That’s a big hit for taxpayers in Premier Brad Wall’s hometown, but at least they know how all their representatives voted on the budget.