Council Notes - April 18, 2023

Council Notes - April 18th, 2023

Financial Statements. The 2022 Year End Consolidated Financial Statements were approved as presented.  The statements will now be sent to Municipal Affairs and posted to our website.

2023 Budget.

Capital

Council has approved the 2023 Revised Capital Budget. The budget includes a few carry-over projects from 2022, and a number of updated project budgets as final costs have come in.

Some key items added to the 2023 Capital Budget Include:

• $100,000 towards Civic Centre Renovations
• $550,000 for a new Komatsu Grader (purchased this winter)
• $2,600,000 for full rehabilitation of 18 Avenue (48-49 Street)
• $65,000 for design of full rehabilitation of 8 Avenue (51-52 Street)
• $55,000 to purchase a forklift for the airport
• $37,777 in Landfill scale upgrades
• $187,005 towards the Vision Park Well & Washroom
• $65,000 for a Trash Pump

Other Major Projects:

• $20,000,000 in grant funding towards the YCE Multi-Use Facility
• $1,744,967 for Vision Park Phase 1
• $1,893,150 for the Wase Creek Project
• $3,000,000 towards the Library Renovation
• $131,415 for highway crossing lights
• $400,000 for general road repairs

The total Capital Budget amounts to $34,633,712, funded 26.6% from reserves, 1.7% from cost-sharing, and 71.7% from grants.

Operating

The Operating budget has been passed with no change in the increase from the Interim Budget passed in December. The total Operating expenditures are $30,076,602, and total taxation to be generated is $12,986,038.

The overall operational increase is 5.79% to deal the pressures, provincial downloading and increased service levels.  An additional 2.46% (COVID Recovery) is the final amount needed to make up for the 5% decrease in taxes during the pandemic, for a total taxation increase of 8.25%.

A full budget recap is available online at www.edson.ca/budget.

Planning and Development Fees Report. Council has accepted the Planning and Development Fees and Charges Analysis report as information. The report outlines suggested changes to the fee structures now that the Land Use Bylaw rewrite is nearing completion. The proposed changes will be brought back at a future meeting as a revision to the Fees and Charges Bylaw.

Next meeting - The next Council meeting is scheduled for May 2, 2023, at 7:00 pm. The next Committee of the Whole meeting is set for May 9, 2023, at 7:00 pm.