During recent budget discussions, city council unanimously voted to refer the proposed 2025 police budget back to the police commission because the requested 7.43 per cent increase exceeded the cost-of-living index “by a considerable margin” and was unaffordable.
The cost-of-living index, also known as inflation or the Consumer Price Index (CPI), was 1.8 per cent for our region the past year.
Ironically, about a week later, the same Moose Jaw city council unanimously voted to approve the 2025 city operating budget with an increase in spending well over triple the cost-of-living index.
Taxpayer funding required to pay for this increase and the ever-expanding city hall was cobbled together with a collection of significant property tax and water and sewer rate increases, moving some operating costs to the capital budget, and charging more for garbage and recycling collection. The cherry on top was the creation of yet another city “utility”, the storm sewer utility. Its mandate will be to do work previously done and paid for by the city but will now be funded by a new monthly charge on your water bill.
As with the money collected by the water, sewer and solid waste “utilities,” a percentage of storm sewer utility revenues will be siphoned off back to the operating budget — a tax on a tax. Or, as they like to call it at city hall, a franchise fee.
All this was accompanied with the usual comments from elected officials about how difficult the budgeting process had been and what hard work it was.
Really?
Brian Swanson
