WEYBURN – Everyone is living the truth that the prices of everything is going up and expenses are a real problem for most people right now.
Thus, when the City of Weyburn put forward their preliminary draft budget on Monday night and proposed a tax increase of 10.34 per cent, this may have shocked a few people, and probably angered a few more.
The important thing to remember from this presentation is this budget is a draft, it’s only the starting point. This isn’t the budget being handed down to the taxpayers of Weyburn, it’s the starting line.
The City is now turning the process over to the taxpayers and business owners of Weyburn, and they “have the floor”, so to speak. Between now and Nov. 18, the City wants to hear some suggestions and comments about this budget.
The council is not wanting to pass on a 10.34-per-cent tax hike to its citizens and business community – so they need to know what’s important to people.
There are basically two ways to balance a budget for a city: either raise taxes, or reduce the spending.
Each department has a list of equipment or projects that they need or want in order to provide their necessary services for the citizens of Weyburn.
This includes everything from police and fire to the city’s rec facilities (like the Spark Centre, Leisure Centre and hockey rinks), collecting the garbage and recycling, clearing the snow (and it’s coming …), running the water and sewer systems, having parks for everyone to enjoy, running the library, and cleaning the streets, just to name some.
As residents of Weyburn, people need and want these services, and expect a certain level of quality of life for their families. They want good roads and sidewalks, a good rink to watch their children figure skate or play hockey in, and a good arts program to learn about pottery or painting.
They want a swimming pool to enjoy, a library to drop in to for a fun program (like pumpkin carving, or the fall book sale) and a well-equipped fire hall for those emergencies that require the Fire Department’s services.
They want protection from criminals, as well as enforcement of traffic safety laws and the laws of the land, and for this to happen, our police need to be well-trained and well-equipped, and able to respond when emergencies arise.
So when people look over the proposed budget for the coming year, they need to consider, are there any items that could be put off or cut? If they don’t want to pay more taxes (and no one does) then there needs to be a reduction on the spending side.
It’s tricky, because inflation is bad and it’s impacting everyone, so the challenge will be, what should be kept, and what should be cut. The City wants to hear your ideas, and you have a month to submit them.
