Estevan city council has started its deliberations on the 2018 budget, and we can expect to see the contents soon.
The capital budget is always an interesting read, since it shows where the city will be directing money for road resurfacing and repairs, protective services, public works, leisure services and other departments.
For the second straight year, King Street will be a top priority. It would be nice to see the rest of King Street completed next year. That would mean resurfacing from Kohaly Avenue to Cundall Drive, and Pine Avenue to Kensington Avenue.
King Street has been a source of frustration for local motorists for many years, but we can finally look forward to this arterial road being completed.
It wouldn’t be cheap, either, so there likely won’t be the money for other major infrastructure projects, but hopefully the city can continue to patch the roads and sidewalks affected by water main breaks.
On the subject of water mains, it might be time for the city to resume the water main replacement program, which has been on hiatus for a few years.
We’d also like to see additional sidewalks resurfaced or constructed around town. The construction of sidewalks along Wellock Road west of Souris Avenue North are a perfect example of what new sidewalks can do for the morale of a neighbourhood.
Perhaps the biggest decision facing the city for the budget will be the future of the Civic Auditorium and the Power Dodge Ice Centre. Should the city spend the necessary funds to repair structural issues inside the Civic? Should it throw some money to repair mechanical and heating issues as well? If not, then it will have to update the Power Dodge Ice Centre to bring it up the standard of a second rink, and enable it to handle the additional spectators.
And if the city isn’t going to keep the Civic open, then it needs to demolish the old building, and have a feasibility study for a new arena.
Hopefully the city will also continue to pay down debt. The debt repayment was derailed in 2017 because the city spent $2.5 million on the purchase and renovation of the former Murray GM dealership, allowing it to be transformed into Estevan’s new fire hall.
The city has done a good job of reducing its debt load since 2013, and those efforts need to continue.
There will likely be property tax and utility rate increases (those seem to go up every year), but hopefully the utility fee increases will be limited to consumption rates.
And the city will need to be prepared in case the provincial government further tinkers with municipal operating grants and the grants in lieu of taxation.
There’s one more thing we want to see for the budget: public feedback. In recent years, the city has given the public a chance to offer their thoughts on the financial plan. The public hasn’t always responded accordingly.
They’ll gripe on social media or coffee row, but when it comes time to give their thoughts to council members and city management, they’ll be silent.
It would be nice to see a large turnout when council does have its budget meeting in January.
If you have thoughts on what you want for the 2018 budget, we’d encourage you to share them with the city.
