Council expected to approve budgets

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This article was published 12/12/2016 (3533 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WINNIPEG city council meets in a special session Tuesday to approve the 2017 operating and capital budgets.

Councillors will see no change to the budget books that were unveiled by Mayor Brian Bowman and his executive policy committee Nov. 22. A two-week review process resulted in no changes to the proposed budgets of the civic departments.

Property taxes will increase 2.33 per cent, with an operating budget of $1.08 billion, and a capital budget of $432.9 million. The business tax rates will be decreased from 5.3 to 5.25 per cent; and businesses with an annual rental value of $32,220 or less will get a refund on their business taxes.

For the average home assessed at $288,190, the budget will mean the municipal portion of the property tax bill will increase $38.51, from $1,656 in 2016 to $1,694 in 2017.

There were some minor changes, increasing grants to three organizations for a combined $17,250, but those funds will be found within existing budgets.

There appears to be enough support on council to formally approve the budget, possibly by a vote of 11-5. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be futile attempts from some councillors for some last-minute amendments.

The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce is expected to support the budget and, surprisingly to some, so is the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association.

Chris Lorenc, president of the MHCA, had been critical of the proposed $105-million roads budget and long-term road planning. The MHCA took out a series of radio ads opposing the city’s long-term planning.

However, Lorenc said that while he and the MHCA remain concerned with the roads portion of the budget, he’s willing to support the overall document. Lorenc said he will urge council to amend the budget but will support it.

“We are registered to appear (at Tuesday’s council meeting) in support but we have continuing concerns about aspects of the budget and we’ll address those.” Lorenc said.

Lorenc joined council critics Russ Wyatt, Ross Eadie, Jeff Browaty, Shawn Dobson and Jason Schreyer in criticizing the budget’s long-term spending for roads for the years 2017-2022, which they said is $98 million less than the plan approved by council in its 2015 – Bowman’s first as mayor.

Bowman has dismissed the criticism, pointing out that for the second consecutive year, the city is poised to spend $105 million on local and regional streets. However, Bowman has refused to acknowledge the essence of the criticism: the amount planned to be spent over the next six years is less than had been proposed two years ago.

Lorenc, who served on council from 1983-1992, said he’s disappointed that Bowman and members of his EPC have refused to acknowledge they are changing the long-term spending plan and refuse to explain why they believe that’s necessary.

Lorenc said while council has the right to change its plans from year to year, it owes the public an explanation as to why it believes that must be done.

“I’m hugely disappointed,” Lorenc said. “They committed to a comprehensive (spending) plan in 2015 and now they’re proposing to walk away from it.”

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca