Mayor touts ‘lowest’ tax hike in decade

Saskatoon is getting a new downtown library in seven years, an organic waste collection program in four years and the lowest tax increase in a decade next year.

City council spent 21 and a half hours over three days deliberating on city hall’s first two-year budget, which was set Wednesday with property tax increases of 3.7 per cent in 2020 and 3.87 per cent in 2021.

The 3.7 per cent increase would be the lowest this decade, and only 3.79 per cent in 2018 and 3.86 per cent in 2010 were lower than the increase slated for 2021.

For a single-family home with an assessed value of $371,000, the household would pay an extra $69.87 in 2020 and then another extra $75.35 in 2021. Combined, that’s an increase of $145.22.

“I don’t take for granted — every tax increase has an impact on citizens,” Mayor Charlie Clark told reporters Wednesday night. “It’s the lowest property tax increase in 10 years. I’m going to keep saying it.”

Council made the two biggest decisions in this two-year budget on the first two days: To allow the Saskatoon Public Library to borrow $67.5 million for a new downtown branch and to proceed with the organics program.

On Wednesday, council decided how to spend more than $18 million in a capital project fund boosted by a payment by the federal government of gas tax revenue.

The big-ticket item on the capital list was $10 million to buy carts for the citywide organic waste program for single-family homes expected to arrive in 2023. That passed with a 9-1 vote, with Coun. Bev Dubois dissenting.

Council also approved spending $2.8 million over the next two years to implement the city’s growth plan.

Other projects approved include $750,000 to update the city’s zoning bylaw, more than $700,000 to address waste reduction by businesses and institutions, $680,000 to deal with an insect that has devastated the city’s black ash trees, $500,000 for a utility scale solar power project and $500,000 to spruce up Central Avenue.

After the capital spending was finalized, council approved a number of smaller measures for ongoing spending that increased the toll on taxpayers. Wednesday began with property tax hikes of 3.15 per cent and 3.41 per cent.

Dubois opposed many spending measures Wednesday, often on her own. She also cast a rare vote against approving the final budget numbers, in effect voting against the budget overall.

“I did feel a little bit lonely, but, you know, I have to stick to what I believe in and I have to stick to what my constituents and other folks in the city are telling me,” Dubois told reporters.

Property tax increases have averaged 4.46 per cent over the last five years.

Coun. Sarina Gersher proposed hiking spending by $610,000 next year to implement the city’s controversial low-emissions community plan to slash greenhouse gases by 80 per cent of 2014 levels by 2050.

Only Gersher and Coun. Cynthia Block supported that level of

spending, but council approved contributing $250,000 to the climate plan starting next year.

“This is just a little too steep for me,” Coun. Randy Donauer said of the $610,000. Coun. Troy Davies, Coun. Ann Iwanchuk and Dubois voted against the lower amount for the low-emissions plan.

Council also supported tax increases to start contributing various amounts to funds to help rehabilitate and maintain the city’s bridges, sidewalks and parks.

Transit service for two developing east side neighbourhoods also got a boost, each by $175,000: Rosewood next year and Brighton in 2021.

Davies also made an unusual request for $25,000 in each of the next two years to support the Optimist Hill winter recreation facility.

Davies, who participated by phone, explained that he had been approached after an organization that had committed funding for the snowboard and tubing hill advised project organizers it would not fulfil its pledge.

Council approved a rare increase to the operating budget, even though the funding is only going to be used for Optimist Hill for the next two years. After that, the money will replenish a reserve fund for recreation projects.

“I don’t think we can afford to lose this amenity,” Donauer said of Optimist Hill.

Clark said the budget made key investments in infrastructure that will continue to attract people to Saskatoon and convince them to stay. Clark and Donauer both praised the two-year budget process.

“The amount of savings that we’re going to see as a result of doing a two-year budget — it took longer for us to get through it — but this will save and free up our administration in significant ways to deal with a lot of the other transformational processes that are underway in the city,” Clark said.

Dubois said this year’s budget deliberations were the longest she could recall in 12 years on council.

Coun. Darren Hill did not attend Wednesday’s budget talks.