Saskatoon voters now have the 2017 preliminary budget to consider when casting their ballots this upcoming civic election.
On Monday, “best estimates” were released by the City of Saskatoon and it appears there is a $7.9 million revenue gap in the budget. In other words, if this projected gap remains, taxpayers could be looking at a 3.89 per cent tax increase.
The city is putting emphasis on the fact that the administrative report is not final, does not include the police budget and, according to city manager Murray Totland, subject to change.
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Ward 6 Councillor Charlie Clark motioned for the 2017 budget’s release before the election. He was one of the mayoral candidates calling for it.
However, Totland said at a prior meeting that the budget wouldn’t be ready before mid-October at the earliest. Instead, the preliminary budget was released.
“I was pleased that we were able to provide that information, it does show that there are some challenges to the next council based on the slow down, less provincial revenues, less growth and assessment,” Clark said.
“So it’s going to take some really strong leadership and decision making in terms of making sure how we manage costs and revenues into the future.”
The vote for the 2016 municipal election is on Oct. 26.
Meaghan Craig contributed to this story