As part of the new two-year budget cycle, City Council was able to revisit the 2020-2021 Multi-Year Business Plan and Budget’s Operating and Capital plans (previously approved November 2019) in this second budget year to adjust to any unanticipated external factors of significant impact on the City’s 2021 Budget.
As shown in the chart, City Council approved an adjusted budget.
The Administration had proposed an adjusted budget with a strategy to absorb extra costs related to the pandemic and balance the budget with the Federal Safe Restart funding the City received. The proposed budget adjustments ensured the previously approved 3.87% property tax rate would not increase in 2021.
Council shaved the municipal property tax rate by 1.04% from the originally approved 3.87%. The new municipal property tax of 2.83% is the lowest rate since 2006. For a homeowner with an average assessment value of $371,000, the new rate results in $55.37/year or $4.61/month.
The adjustments made include:
• Removal of $2,558,100 from the overall budget as a global adjustment.
• $100,000 invested towards the innovative Affordable Housing Program
• $71,000 removed from the travel and car allowance budgets for Mayor and Council
• $65,000 allocated for additional berm mowing to ensure service levels are met
• $199,300 removed from the Saskatoon Police Service proposed budget (the initial ask above the approved 2021 budget was for $412,500).
• Council approved free parking in the downtown core and business improvement districts on Saturdays from January 1 to March 31, 2021
• The investments highlighted from year one of the Multi-Year Business Plan and Budget, as highlighted in the blog post from December 2019, remain. This includes investments in core services (e.g. parks, sidewalks, transit, roads, bridges), the introduction of transit in Brighton in 2021 and beginning implementation of Low Emissions Community Plan.
2021 Total Operating & Capital Budget:
Civic Operating: $540,877,400
Utility Operating: $369,024,600
Land Operating: $5,738,800
Total Operating: $915,640,800
Total Capital: $284,640,200
TOTAL OPERATING AND CAPITAL BUDGETS: $1,200,281,000
2021 Capital Budget Adjustments
City Council approved reductions to the 2021 Capital Budget in the amount of $9.96 million, taking the total Capital Budget from $294.61 million to $284.64 million.
Visit saskatoon.ca/budget for more detailed information.