Okotoks Town Council has come to the end of their budget deliberations, held Nov. 23-25, and has prepared a recommended budget to be approved on Dec. 13.
Though talks between council, administration and the Finance and Audit Committee have ceased, the budget is still subject to change until the middle of December, said town CAO Elaine Vincent.
Council’s goal was to cap increases to taxes at two per cent, but as it stands, the overall increase is estimated between 2.5 and 2.75 per cent.
Some of the contributing factors to this increase include changes to firefighting staff, RCMP and municipal enforcement staff, the possibility of an outdoor skating rink and increasing levels of transit service.
Firefighters
Fire Chief Trevor Brice gave a presentation to council that outlined the inner-workings of Okotoks Fire Response.
There are two halls — one in the north and one in the south — each always staffed with three paid firefighters. A ‘full' truck is considered to have four firefighters.
An addition of four crew members was already factored into the budget to allow each station to be fully staffed.
Currently, stations have to merge to form a full truck, increasing response times significantly, Brice said.
There are currently 24 firefighters employed by the town. Beginning in the new year, eight new staff will be added to maintain full servicing at both halls.
Vincent explained that council expressed their desire to add an additional four firefighters for $500,000.
The reality of ambulance wait times and the medical first response undertaken by local firefighters was a large part of the conversation and decision that was ultimately made.
At a point in his presentation, Brice made a point of recognizing that without Okotoks Fire Services, it is likely many individuals would have died waiting for the arrival of emergency medical services.
RCMP and Municipal Enforcement Officers
When it came time to chat about RCMP and municipal enforcement officers, there was lots to say.
Coun. Rachel Swendseid made a motion to add a half-time municipal enforcement officer to the mix, which was endorsed by the committee.
Coun. Ken Heemeryck made a motion to remove $500,000 in additional funding to the RCMP and divert that money into the hiring of two new municipal enforcement officers, meaning RCMP would move from 25 officers to 22 and three municipal enforcement personnel.
Vincent said the decision came to fruition for a few different reasons.
The first being value for money — municipal enforcement officers are paid less than RCMP officers and conduct similar duties and responsibilities.
Control and prioritization of the work was also at the top of the list for council when making this decision, Vincent said.
“I think (council) feels that they have the ability to influence that more at the municipal enforcement level than at the RCMP level,” she said.
Outdoor skating rink
Council has directed administration to look into the feasibility of installing an outdoor skating rink.
Vincent said a placeholder amount of $500,000 has been added to the 2022 budget for that project.
Administration is expected to return in February with a report that would outline location possibilities, different operating models and the impact of those various models on the budget.
Transit
The service level for transit will increase to seven days per week beginning in 2022 and rides will also be available on statutory holidays.
Service will also begin 30 minutes earlier Monday through Friday — moving from a start time of 6 a.m. to 5:30 a.m.
Transit will continue to finish operating at 11:30 p.m. every night.
This increased level of service comes at a cost of $196,000, which was included in the original budget presented to council by administration.
Council gave its first reading to the budget at its regular meeting Nov. 29.
The bylaw, which outlines changes to fees, rates and charges for Town of Okotoks taxpayers, will be read a total of three times before it is passed.
For more information about budget deliberations, visit the town’s website.
