City council to brainstorm early budget figures

With Canada's Consumer Price Index up 6.3 per cent over this time last year, what kind of increase can Saultites expect in this year's city budget and property taxes?

Art Gallery of Algoma has commissioned a feasibility study aimed at replacing or expanding its leaky, 42-year-old building on the waterfront. The gallery is asking for a $340,000 grant to be included in this year’s city budget, up $59,000 from last year’s grantCarol Martin/SooToday

Some early hints of where our municipal budget (and therefore your property taxes) may be headed this year can be found in a collection of very preliminary budget documents to be presented to city council on Monday.

Canada's Consumer Price Index is up 6.3 per cent over this time last year.

But so far, increases sought from levy boards and local boards that set their own budgets and essentially add them to the local municipal levy, are well below that number.

Sault Ste. Marie Police Service is proposing a 4.59 per cent budget increase over last year, citing increased staffing costs and an 80 per cent increase in violent crime. The police budget includes $110,000 designated either for a facilities assessment of the police headquarters on Second Line, or to start a reserve fund account for a new building.

Sault Ste. Marie Conservation Authority is planning to collect a $557,000 levy from the city in 2023. That's up 4.98 per cent over last year.

Sault Ste. Marie Public Library is looking for $3,003,089 in municipal grants, up 4.3 per cent over 2022.

Algoma Public Health will provide some welcome relief to city budget planners. The health unit is not seeking any levy increase this year, citing "a significant decrease in anticipated requirements in both COVID-19 response and immunization programs, as public health routinizes this work into mandatory program delivery".

Meanwhile, a number of outside agencies will be looking for city cash on Monday.

Art Gallery of Algoma will ask for $340,000, a $59,000 increase from 2022.

"The AGA is requesting an increase based on inflation which is 18.25 per cent since the last increase the AGA received in 2016," said Jasmina Jovanovic, executive director.

"The operational costs have increased significantly since 2016, especially in the last year," Jovanovic said.

"In addition, the maintenance of the aging building is more costly every year. In order to keep Designation 'A' the costs are steadily increasing (environmental controls, security, water leaks)."

"Staff salaries are following the inflation so the administration costs are increasing."

Other outside agency requests include:

Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre - $175,000 (no increase over last year)
Algoma University - $40,000 for scholarships, marketing and recruitment initiatives
Sault Ste. Marie Museum $260,000 (no increase from last year)
Sault Ste. Marie Crimestoppers - $25,000
Soo Arena Association (Pee Wee Arena) - mentioned in table of contents but no details provided in report to city council

Two other city budget meetings are planned, on Monday Feb. 13 and Tuesday Feb. 14.

Monday's city council budget meeting will be livestreamed on SooToday starting at 4:30 p.m.