CALGARY – Council has approved a $1-million annual boost for more LRT and bus service, reversing proposed Calgary Transit clawbacks.
Friday’s move, which followed another testy budget debate with Mayor Naheed Nenshi at the centre, will raise next year’s property tax hike from 5.9 per cent to 6.0 per cent – a change of roughly $1.30 for the average homeowner.
It will come on top of a virtually unprecedented increase in transit levels coming with the introduction of the west LRT and line extensions in the northeast and northwest. But those expansions would force the city to hold back on service elsewhere, given the department’s requirement to keep its budget.
Transportation officials said the extra spending would go to increase route hours and reliability – but not substantially, since the budget already stood at $336 million for 2012.
Councillor Diane Colley-Urquhart, who has clashed with Nenshi on the tax-spend balance, had tried to lift the transit budget more aggressively. Nenshi pushed against what he termed “giant giant increases.” Councillor Gian-Carlo Carra forged a compromise for $1-million increases, which the mayor supported.
Residential snow clearing is also back in the budget but it won’t cost Calgarians more on their tax bills.
Council approved a plan put forth by Mayor Nenshi which calls for the creation of a $7 million reserve to cover winters with more snow.
The slush fund will come from the city’s sustainability fund.
Council also approved $400,000 for extra snow clearing to pathways.
Budget deliberations were scheduled to end Friday but will continue next week.
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