City nears final budget vote with bump ahead

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This article was published 15/12/2020 (1915 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

City council appears set to increase Winnipeg’s debt by $7 million to replace the development impact fees it once planned to devote to a new Waverley West fire-paramedic station.

With construction slated to begin in 2023, council’s executive policy committee approved a plan Tuesday that would finance the total $12.1-million project entirely by debt, pending council approval.

The City of Winnipeg is now refunding all impact fees it had charged on new homes in some neighbourhoods in recent years after a judge ruled its version of the levy was a “constitutionally invalid, indirect tax.”

“(The station) was the only project to ever have impact fees allocated to it and it was in future years, so we could adjust, if necessary. It’s been necessary to adjust, so we’ve done that today,” said Coun. Scott Gillingham (St. James), finance committee chairman.

Since the earmarked revenue had not been spent, the entire $37 million of impact fees and interest the city collected remained in a reserve. The city began issuing refunds on Nov. 30.

Meanwhile, council’s most powerful committee didn’t answer a call to divert 10 per cent of next year’s $301-million Winnipeg Police Service budget to other priorities.

In opposition, members of the community group Budget for All gathered outside city hall Tuesday to display a “naughty list” of all EPC members.

“(We want) to reallocate that funding to life-sustaining services, like libraries and transit and things that enrich Winnipeggers’ lives,” said Arielle Villarin, spokesperson for the group.

While no immediate change to the police budget is proposed, Mayor Brian Bowman said a plan to speed up work on a new multi-year funding formula for police is set to gather public feedback this year. EPC voted to bump up the due date for options to create a previously planned formula for a sustainable and predictable funding level.

Winnipeg politicians could now vote on changes by Dec. 31, 2021, instead of March 2022, if council approves.

“We heard from a lot of people last week. What I heard was people want to have a greater say, they want to have greater input in terms of their views on policing and we want them to have that opportunity over the course of the next year,” said Bowman.

Council will cast its final budget vote Wednesday.

Joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga