Budget wrap: what council said

Here's a look at how council viewed the 2009 operating and 2009-11 capital budgets. Council approved the budgets late Monday, meaning homeowners will see a 4.55 per cent increase in municipal property taxes next year. Non-residential property owners face a 5.28 per cent increase.

Mayor Nolan Crouse
"Four and a half per cent is OK," he said in an interview. "I call it OK. I do, however feel that because of the [provincial] MSI grant money we're still able to do a lot of good things for the future. Without the MSI money we'd be scrambling for some improvement projects. But with the MSI money it's been a lot easier to show continual improvement for residents."

"Residents are going to see improved services, improved quality of life for a modest tax increase. I still want us to keep the pedal to the metal for Servus Place performance. I still think that's an area of watch for us."

"There's something in it for generally everybody, without it being a 10 per cent tax increase. It's an OK budget."

The mayor isn't about to lose sleep because the budget approval was not unanimous. (Coun. James Burrows voted against). "That's democracy."

Coun. James Burrows
"In all good conscience I will not be supporting this," said Burrows, who was disappointed to see council cut funding for nine new firefighters. The decision means firefighters will have to log more overtime.

"The decision of not hiring these firefighters is a huge, huge mistake. In all good conscience I cannot support the budget because of that decision. I know that if I was a parent [of a child] involved in a car accident and someone was coming off a 14-hour shift who was fatigued, over-worked … that the city council would not be prepared to spend half a million dollars to perhaps save the life of a child is something that just floors me."

Coun. Lorie Garritty
"It's a reasonable tax increase. It's not what some people will be happy with it but I think most people would recognize — particularly if they get into what exactly we're spending the money on, if they take the time to analyze that — I think it's fair. 

"It's a compromise We started out at 8.97. We worked hard to get it down to 4.55, with a lot of hard work and good ideas from a lot of people. Mr. Mayor, I think this is a darned good budget."

Coun. Carol Watamaniuk
"Being the only woman in the group here, we've finally given birth to the 2009 budget. It was a well-planned, well-thought out, well-scrutinized, well-analyzed and well-nurtured offspring that I think we came up with. 

"I applaud the staff and my colleagues on council. I don't think I have ever witnessed, in all my years on council, such an incredibly hard bunch of work that went into a budget. I applaud all of you."

Coun. Len Bracko
"It's one of the toughest budgets I've ever sat through. I sat through some in the early 90s when we were going through some tough times also."

Bracko was pleased with council's decision to add an extra $1 million for road maintenance. 

"It's key that we spend less money now than we do later on in maintaining our road infrastructure."

Coun. Roger Lemieux
"As far as I'm concerned, we took a passionate, intelligent business-like approach [to the budget], especially with the dramatic change in the economy right in the middle of the budget."

Coun. Gareth Jones
Jones made no closing remarks before the final budget vote. However, earlier in the meeting he applauded administration's list of recommendations to cut spending by one percentage point. Jones had indicated he wouldn't support the budget if the tax increase came in above five per cent.

"This is a very positive response to council's request."