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Proposed city budget delivers on needs for a growing city

Mayor John Stewart column Jan. 24

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Heading into this year’s budget, council had three key priorities – address pressures on services for a rapidly growing population, protect existing services and infrastructure, and keep any potential tax increase as low as possible.

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That would be challenging enough at the best of times – Beaumont continues to be one of the fastest growing communities in the country and with that comes a need for roads, sports and recreation facilities, along with other infrastructure and services. To make matters more difficult, the provincial government announced a series of funding cuts last fall, including municipal grants for infrastructure.

Last week, council had its first opportunity to work through the city’s budget in detail and I think we’re meeting the challenge. The currently proposed tax increase is the lowest in the last several years and we are targeting investments to protect the services and infrastructure we have while continuing to build a community with a high quality of life.

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The city is hosting budget open houses at the Beaumont Community Centre next Wednesday from 5-7 p.m., and Wednesday, Feb. 5 at the Ken Nichol Regional Recreation Centre, also from 5-7 p.m. Before that, I’d like to share some details of the budget as it’s currently proposed.

Holding the line on costs

This year’s proposed tax increase of 1.6 per cent is the lowest in more than a decade. For the average household, it works out to $45.77; about the cost of one coffee per month.

City employees deserve much of the credit here for looking at their operations, finding efficiencies and holding the line on costs. As an additional cost-saving measure, the budget does not include cost of living increases for employee salaries this year.

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Council also found savings within our budget, for instance cutting our allocation for travel and training.

Meeting the needs of a growing community

Last week, council approved Our Places and Play, Beaumont’s Recreation, Parks and Facilities Master Plan. The plan, prepared during the last year with input from residents and community organizations, maps priorities for the city’s recreation, parks and cultural needs for the next decade.

It’s not likely a surprise for anyone who has tried to book time at the city’s facilities, but the plan notes that for a community of 20,000 people, we use recreational facilities like a city of 30,000.

Later this year, the expanded Beaumont Sport and Recreation Centre will open with a new arena, fieldhouse and room for other activities. As a result of prudent planning, the city will be able to fund staff and equipment for the new centre from growth within Beaumont’s existing tax base.

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The budget also includes proposed investments to address growth needs including:

  • A feasibility study for an arts facility;

  • Overlay work and a detailed design for improvements to Township Road 510;

  • An outdoor rink at the Ken Nichol Regional Recreation Centre;

  • A conceptual design and geotechnical study for an outdoor multi-use field;

  • An outdoor rink in the Dansereau neighbourhood; and

  • Additional baseball diamonds and park equipment in Coloniale.

Protecting services and infrastructure

Replacing a leaky roof and patching roads is typically not as exciting for residents as a new recreation facility, but protecting the infrastructure we already have is just as important.

The city recently implemented a new asset management plan to make sure we’re tracking the condition of our roads, waste and storm water systems, buildings and other facilities so that we can keep them in shape. The budget proposes a number of investments to repair or replace older facilities and equipment, assess infrastructure and support the asset management plan, including:

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  • Assessing all roads, sidewalks and trails in Beaumont using technology that also looks at the conditions below the surface;

  • A video inspection of the city’s wastewater and drainage system;

  • Replacing firefighting equipment that has reached the end of its lifecycle;

  • Replacing the LeBlanc Canal Bridge in Four Seasons Park;

  • Replacing the roof at Ken Nichol Regional Recreation Centre; and

  • Renovating the Bellevue outdoor rink.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of everything in the city’s proposed budget for 2020. Council has also proposed allocating funds to host events celebrating Beaumont’s 125th anniversary and honouring the community’s Indigenous past and present. We’ll continue to work through the details in the coming month before a final vote on the budget. In the meantime, please come to our open houses to learn more and share your thoughts, or contact me or any of council.

John Stewart is the Mayor of Beaumont. If you have any questions about this column or any other Beaumont local government issue, please contact his office at 780-929-8782 or by email at mayor@beaumont.ab.ca.

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