Next year's property tax increase has be lowered to 6.31 per cent.
The city's tax-o-meter — a gimmicky term city hall uses to describe what really is an updated spread sheet and bar graph — spit out the latest figure after city council continued its cutting ways Tuesday.
Council formally cut fuel costs by $375,000 and eliminated some $304,000 in Alberta Health Care premiums. They approved another three dozen changes to the operating budget, many smaller cuts or additions.
Here are some highlights:
• Increase police revenue by $200,000 via photo radar (could be through more photo radar operators, increased patrols, lower tolerances, etc.)
• Cut $87,800 from the Riel Recreation Park operating budget, reducing it to $118,000
• Cut $50,000 grant for Northern Alberta Business Incubator, reducing it to zero
• Cut $35,000 from Alberta 55 Plus Games Winter Games budget, reducing it to $150,000
• Cut mayor and council training budgets by $1,000 each
• Cut $5,000 from council's travel budget to attend Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference
• Cut $5,000 for idle-free bylaw public awareness campaign, reducing it to zero
As one reader pointed out, council did also endorse new culture and recreation fee rates. Arts guilds will see increases next year, but will not pay more than 65 per cent of full operating costs. The fees are as follows:
Potters' guild, $7,500; Painters' guild, $2,000; Floral arts, $600; Quilters, $1,200; Paper arts, $500.
Council defeated a motion to charge $2,000 for studio space used by the Profiles Public Art Gallery for children's art classes. Profiles will continue pay nothing.
Council still has some significant motions to debate Thursday, including whether to cut Servus Place expenses and raise revenues.
The debate over delaying the addition of nine firefighters has been put over until Dec. 22, when the fire chief is available.
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