The Mountain View County councillors have had a first look at a proposed draft 2014 budget, which was presented at the Oct. 2 policies and priorities committee meeting.
“What councillors wanted to do was have a bit of a draft budget in place so that when there is a new council there we are not starting totally from scratch,” said CAO Tony Martens. “Nothing has been decided on and there are still tweaks that are going to have to happen and of course it would have to be adopted by the new council.
“It kind of gives council an indication of where things are going. It's a start so that we have some when we go forward with the new council, so we can say, ‘OK, here's a start of a budget, go through it and change whatever needs to be changed'.”
The draft proposed budget calls for total taxes of $40,147,250 in 2014, which would represent a six per cent increase over 2013's total of $37,864,550.
Municipal taxes would increase six per cent, from $26,078,050 to $27,682,550. The education requisition would increase three per cent from $11,282,000 to $11,648,000, and the seniors' housing requisition would increase 49 per cent, from $329,000 to $645,000.
Total revenues would increase from $42,937,500 to $46,305,600, a rise of eight per cent. The revenue increase would include an increase in fees and levies from $1,327,150 to $2,196,150.
Council expenses would decrease three per cent, from $585,900 to $567,375; corporate services would increase one per cent, from $3,817,215 to $3,844,715; planning and development would decrease four per cent, from $1,959,500 to $1,875,850; legislative services would decrease 15 per cent, from $6,751,985 to $5,712,085; and operational services would increase eight per cent, from $19,819,800 to $21,481,450.
Total expenses for all departments would increase by a total of three per cent, rising from $45,463,000 to $46,730,375.
Proposed projects for the operational services department would include the following:
• The continuation of the Acme Road construction project, at a cost of $6,900,000.
• Construction of Rge. Rd. 35 north of Acme Road, at a cost of $3,900,000.
• Gravel pit reclamation at the Sturrock pit, at a cost of $400,000.
• Gravel pit stripping including earthworks and engineering, at a cost of $300,000.
• Prospect for more gravel pits east of Highway 2, at a cost of $100,000.
• Engineering for possible upgrades of the Coal Camp Road, at a cost of $150,000.
• The construction of flood protection on Rge. Rd. 52 north of Water Valley, at a cost of $100,000.
• Collection of plans and cost details for upgrade of Rge. Rd. 20 from Didsbury to Olds, at a cost of $100,000.
• Engineering for the full reconstruction of Acme Road from Spreters Hill cut to Rocky View County border at Rge. Rd. 13, at a cost of $130,000.
• Culvert repairs and related engineering jobs across the county, at a cost of $100,000.
• Lagoon road surfacing near Didsbury, at a cost of $175,000.
• Engineering for a new bridge just off Highway 582 on the east side of the county, at a cost of $200,000, as well as $130,000 for engineering for a bridge on Twp. Rd. 290 near Madden.
• The installation of electric gates at the Cremona, Luft Pit, Olds and Didsbury county shops, at a cost of $85,000.
The proposed budget is scheduled to come before a special policies and priorities committee meeting on Nov. 18.
