'Crawling along like turtles': Saskatoon councillors extend budget discussions to Friday
CTV
After hours of debate, Saskatoon city councillors found $2.7 million in savings on Thursday.
After hours of debate, Saskatoon city councillors found $2.7 million in savings on Thursday.
"We have to reduce this budget. This is our third day and we're crawling along like turtles, not reducing very much," Ward 9 Coun. Bev Dubois told the chamber.
The city adjusted fuel projections to save $600,000 — one of the largest savings during the third day of budget deliberations. Councillors also decided to defer hiring certain positions and scale back on grass trimming frequency.
In total, councillors have found $4.5 million in savings.
If councillors can't find further savings, property taxes would increase 5.94 per cent next year and 5.42 in 2025 — according to the latest numbers from the city's chief financial officer.
The idea to implement a $1 service fee for online registrations for the Travelling Sports Van and Arts Centre Program, to bring in $11,500 for the city, generated questions about the software from Coun. Darren Hill.
City manager, Jeff Jorgenson, called the questions "obscure."
