Halifax departments face budget cuts after council vetoes tax hikes

HALIFAX – Halifax senior staff say after the 2016-17 budget is done there will be no more room to cut unless services are also on the chopping block.

“Basically we have trimmed everything we possibly can in every category,” said Brad Anguish, director of parks and recreation. “I’m pretty much out of slack.”

At Wednesday’s Committee of the Whole meeting, councillors green-lighted the budgets for parks and recreation and Halifax Public Libraries. Parks and recreation is facing a $649,400 cut, if the budget is approved later this year, and the libraries are looking at a $129,200 cut.

Both managers say their units can handle the cut without impacting services, however, if councillors ask for services to be expanded then something else will have to go.

“There may be things we pull back on in order to make new things happen,” Chief Librarian and CEO Asa Kachan said.

During the presentations, councillors asked about a number of service expansions. On libraries, councillors asked about improving service in regions further away from the core. Coun. Waye Mason says the goal to extend library hours at a number of different branches can’t be done with the budget on the table.

“There really isn’t a lot of slack left in the library board,” said Mason, who is also vice-chair of the Library’s board. “The ability to find cost savings in the library is almost done.”

“You can cut the fat, and cut the fat, and cut the fat, and eventually it’s all cut. And I think we’re starting to get to that point.”

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All departments were asked to find savings so councillors could make good on their promise to keep taxes steady. Mayor Mike Savage says the belt-tightening is good management and he’s not saying whether he thinks budgets should go up next year.

“I don’t think there should be slack in departments,” he said.

Both budgets presented Wednesday cut vacant full-time jobs to meet the targets — parks and recreation cut five and the libraries cut four. The library is making up for some of the cuts with increased revenue from fees like parking and room rentals at the central library. Kachan said the fees aren’t going up, but increased use means there is more money coming in than expected.

Another budget debate is scheduled for Jan. 13.