Quesnel City Council met for the second time to discuss the 2009 budget in detail.
The purpose of the meeting was for Council to:
Review the Capital project lists in detail.
No decisions were made by Council at this meeting; it was once again designed as a budget overview session.
It is critical to note that all dollar values contained in the budget are subject to change and should not be considered final until the budget is approved by Council.
Budget 2009 update
At its first budget meeting on Feb. 2, Council reviewed the Preliminary Budget Overview (which is available on the City’s website), as well as supplementary requests. (Supplementary budget items are generally new spending items that are operational in nature and requested by Council, staff or Committees of Council.)
Capital items discussed
This meeting was the first opportunity for Council to review the capital projects list for 2009. A number of projects were outlined for Council from various department heads.
The current capital project list stands at $2.06 million. This does not include projects that are covered through various reserve funds (such as major equipment or the Quesnel Works Capital Reinvestment Program) or projects that are covered by grants (such as the completion of the Hwy. 97 underpass).
There are a number of projects on the list, spanning a wide range of City services, from improving various portions of the Riverfront Trail, such as paving sections in both South and West Quesnel, to seeing Council move towards using a paperless agenda.
Each are ranked by staff as being essential, important, or desirable to help Council evaluate them. Ultimately each project must be approved by Council.
Council will deliberate over the options in the coming weeks and vote on capital items and the total spending at a future budget meeting.
The Quesnel Works Capital Reinvestment Program (CRP) will likely maintain its strong presence in the community this year.
This initiative was launched in 2007, and was set as a separate levy on tax notices - funding collected for CRP projects is spent only on CRP projects.
The program assesses assets, prioritizes reinvestment needs, and establishes a stable funding source to ensure Quesnel’s infrastructure is replaced in a timely and efficient manner.
There is currently about $1.372 million in the reserve fund. Staff has brought forward $1.737 million in projects for Council to consider. These include projects such as paving Hydraulic Road from Juniper to Sanderson and $300,000 for several paving jobs throughout Quesnel. Council will review these items and determine which are to be completed.
Council will also need to determine what level of funding will be invested this year. The current investment sees about $820,000 placed in the reserve each year.
Last year a couple of major jobs, including the re-paving and new sidewalks for the 400 block of McLean Street, were part of the Quesnel Works program’s second year
Next steps
The next budget meeting is scheduled for March 23. At this meeting, Council will continue to discuss capital and supplemental budgets. This will also be the formal public input session.
More timelines for the budget process will be laid out at that meeting. Reports will go to regular Council meetings dealing with various topics, including:
Setting tax rates for the various classes
Early approval lists
Reserve allocations
Next Budget meeting
Monday March 23rd, 2009- Time to be determined
Council Chambers - Quesnel City Hall
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