Wyatt proposes faint-hope amendments as budget vote looms

Coun. Russ Wyatt has proposed a pair of faint-hope amendments to Winnipeg's budget as the city's spending blueprint heads toward a council vote.

A special meeting of council will be held this morning to debate the 2017 budget, which calls for spending of $1.08 billion on city services and $318 million worth of construction projects, road repairs and equipment purchases.

The plan, as unveiled by Mayor Brian Bowman on Nov. 22, calls for a 2.33-per-cent property-tax hike, which will add $38.51 to the annual municipal-tax bill for a 1,200-square-foot home.

It also calls for road-repair funding to remain static at $105 million even though two percentage points of the property-tax hike are dedicated to road renewals. That hike is expected to raise another $10.9 million in 2017.

Coun. Wyatt (Transcona) plans to movea budget amendment that will add $10.6 million to the road-repair budget and raise property taxes by approximately two morepoints. Mynarski Coun. Ross Eadieplans to second the amendment.

Wyatt also plans to amend the budget to freeze water-and-waste dividend transfers, starting in 2018. The city plans to increase the dividend this year by $3.6 million, raising the transfer from water and waste from $32million to to $35.6 million.

Nine votes are required for the budget to pass. Bowman only requires the support of executive policy committee and two other members of council in order to obtain those nine votes.

2017Winnipeg budget highlights

Operatingbudget(spending on city services): $1.08billion, up $24million from $1.06billion in 2016. Smallest spending hike since early years of the Sam Katz administration.

Capital budget(spending on infrastructure and equipment): $318 million, down $51 million from $369 million in 2016.

Cash to capital(transfer from operating to capital budget): $54million, down $19 million from $75million in 2016. First major drop in recent memory.

Property-tax hike: 2.33 per cent, unchanged from2016.

Projected property-tax haul in 2017: $569 million, up $20 million from $549 million in 2016. This is the result of the hike and new properties coming on line.

Frontage-levy hike: Not happening this year.

"Dividend" from water and waste: $35.6 million, up from $32 million in 2016.

Growth-fee revenue: $1 million expected from new "impact fee."

Police budget: $288 million, up $7millionfrom $281 million in 2016.

Fire-paramedic budget: $199 million, up $9 million from $190 million in 2016

Road-repair budget: $105 million, unchanged from 2016.

Portage and Main reopening: Not in the budget. Won't happen before 2018.

Transit garage expansion: $53 million to expand Fort Rouge garage.

North District police station: $20 million this year to replace aging District 3 station on Hartford Avenue. This does not include $3 million already spent on the project.

Tache Promenade: $5.2million for new St. Boniface walkway.

South Winnipeg recreationfacility: $4.1 million to begin planning and designing a new rec centre on south side of the city.