OLDS — Most respondents to a town budget consultation survey (58 per cent) say they’re getting fairly good value for their tax dollars.
That’s one of the main findings from the survey, unveiled during a regular council meeting last month.
The survey was undertaken between Sept. 1 and Oct. 2 to give town officials some direction as they begin drafting their next budget.
Respondents were asked how they’d like to see their tax dollars allocated, based on their level of satisfaction with each category.
Most (35 per cent) said the emphasis should be on operational services, which looks after roadways, alleys and all signage.
Crews also conduct winter road maintenance, seasonal street sweeping, pothole repair, line painting, signage replacement and lane grading.
Nineteen per cent of respondents put the priority on economic development and 17 per cent on public safety. Thirteen per cent preferred maintaining parks and trails in town.
Nine per cent prioritized recreation facilities. Planning and development as well as community services were the top concerns of four per cent of respondents respectively.
Most respondents also said the town should keep the same level of funding for operational services, protective services, parks and trails, economic development, community services.
Respondents were asked which services they though should be the top five areas of focus for the town over the next three to five years.
The largest support (13 per cent) was for road maintenance, followed by debt reduction and economic development (11 per cent each), crime and safety (10 per cent) and snow removal (nine per cent).
Trail upkeep was supported by seven per cent of respondents; waste removal, six per cent; Uptowne revitalization, and protective services, five per cent each; upkeep of facilities, parks and recreation, four per cent each.
Community facilitator Jennifer Lutz told council that ordinarily, the budget consultation would have run for six weeks or two months, but the COVID-19 shortened the time to about a month, as town officials also ran consultations on murals and keeping animals in town.
She pegged the cost of the engagement at about $3,400.
“On the results, you’ll note we usually get fairly consistent ‘keep the same,’ which is good. That means that you guys are on the mark on how things are budgeted,” Lutz said.
She noted support for planning and development fell by one per cent, compared to budget consultations in previous years.
“This year there was a spike with economic development. It was one of the higher ones this year and it moved up a few spots,” Lutz said. “Debt reduction as well. That didn’t really show up that strongly (previously).
“A really nice slide for me personally is the value you get for your tax dollars. We are up eight per cent in positive – people feel they’re getting good value for their taxes.”
"It is unfortunate perhaps that we were down somewhat in our responses, but overall, I thought the responses were good,” Coun. Wanda Blatz said.
“It’s good to have that information as a councillor, to know what people are saying out there in the general public. So that part I really appreciated.”
Coun. Mary Jane Harper wondered if respondents understood that keeping the priorities the same in various areas will actually mean spending more money, due to inflation
“Very good point,” Mayor Michael Muzychka said.
Coun. Mary Anne Overwater noted some people suggested that when it comes to waste services, there was a need for more black bin pickup and less green bin pickup in the winter.
Chief administrative officer Michael Merritt said some adjustments could be made if necessary.
“We have a lot of fixed costs so the savings are not near as great as people think they would be,” he said, but added that could be “an upcoming discussion for our 2021 budget deliberations.”
Coun. Mitch Thomson noted when it comes to art in the community, some people thought the town spends too much on it while others believe it doesn’t spend enough on it.
"While we have an opportunity to educate them on what we’re doing, I think we also have an opportunity to reflect on the values that our citizens are placing on these services," he said.
“I think that that’s a very good point," Muzychka said. “That goes to how diverse our community is – diversity of thought and opinion and we appreciate each and every one of our residents for that.”
Council voted to receive a report on the budget consultation as information. The matter is expected to come up during a future council meeting.
