City to achieve spending goal

date, City Manager, Yves Vermette, informed elected officials that the total savings achieved so far has reached 89 per cent of its goal, or $9,792,158.

"The municipal departments have undertaken this essential exercise with great professionalism,” he said. |”This is a great challenge for all employees to be creative and innovative every day in their work." Vermette added that several projects underway suggest additional savings of $1.7 million by the beginning of 2018, bringing the total to the $11.5 million target.

Over the last 27 months, from March 2015 to July 2017, 92 full-time equivalent positions have been eliminated by attrition, or 57 per cent of retirement-related positions, while the initial target was of 50 per cent. "There were, of course, new jobs created during this period, but the number of positions abolished remains higher," he said.

For his part, Sherbrooke Mayor Bernard Sévigny welcomes the results so far. "In a context where employees have put off their retirement, where population growth has increased by 7,000 people from 2014 to 2016, and the number of kilometers of streets, sidewalks and dwellings has increased, the effort of the municipal government to reduce spending demonstrates very sound management.”

The final report on the City’s optimization plan is expected be tabled at the beginning of 2018.