Regina city council to start budget deliberations Wednesday

On Wednesday, Regina’s city councillors are set to start what could be a three-day discussion on the city’s 2024 budget.

The administration’s recommended budget includes a 2.82 per cent mill rate increase, meaning a $5.51 per month property tax increase for the average home worth $315,000.

Mayor Sandra Masters said affordability is going to be one of the big challenges for councillors during deliberations.

“You’re looking at inflation and interest rates and the cost of goods. That’s the balancing act between that and making sure that we’re investing in infrastructure in a way that supports our growth and revitalization of areas like our downtown and our city centre core,” said Masters.

Increases to bills in the new year also include an increase of more than $15 on utility bills with a four per cent proposed utility rate increase. As well, all waste collection is being moved to utility bills.

“The whole point is, and research has shown, that when you make folks responsible on a user-fee basis, there is (a) more conscious effort to recycle, to compost and to be responsible with garbage,” explained Masters.

As part of budget deliberations, council will have to make a decision on how to fund Regina Exhibition Association Limited (REAL) in the coming year. Options include raising property taxes, taking money from capital contributions, both, or neither.

“I think that, clearly, its expenses are too high,” Masters said. “Those need to be taken care of. If revenue needs to be increased, that needs to be taken care of.”

She said it’s important to deal with REAL’s debt, but she also said the independent nature of REAL is important.

“It would seem to me, at this time, somewhere between $2 (million and) $5 million (for REAL) is a distraction from an otherwise billion-dollar budget which needs to be taken care of,” said Masters.

Budget deliberations start at 9 a.m. on Wednesday and could continue on for the next two days if necessary.