By Sam Borsato - @BorsatoSam on Twitter

Capital Improvement Program budget deliberations get underway

May 15, 2017 | 6:14 PM

LETHBRIDGE – After nearly eight months since the process began, Lethbridge City Council is ready to begin deliberations for the 2018-2027 Capital Improvement Program (CIP).
 
They’ll take this week (May 15-19), sitting as finance committee with Councillor Liz Iwaskiw as chair, to make preparations for the first four years of the budget. Council members spent their first meeting being introduced to the complex CIP approval process, funding sources (shown above, left chart) and asking questions about specific projects.
 
This draft document takes into consideration the desire to complete previously approved projects, take care of existing assets, plan for the future and put new projects in place that will enhance the community as a whole, as noted by Garth Sherwin, city manager, in the introduction to Monday’s (May 15) meeting.
 
Council members have roughly $62,622,000 in unrestricted funds to work with over the entire ten year context, but $51,742,000 within the next four year window that they will be focusing most of their energy on (shown above, right chart).
 
There is some uncertainty, though, about future provincial funding after the next four years are up. Sherwin went on to explain that the Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) will be coming to an end around 2021. Without a replacement program, it will be significantly more difficult for council to fund capital projects (shown above, right chart).
 
That said, this draft CIP has been prepared under the assumption that a replacement program will be introduced by the provincial government in 2022-2027 at current funding levels. If MSI replacement “shadow funding” is used for projects in those years, a subsequent council will be responsible for approving and committing to those projects once an announcement for a replacement program has been made by the province.
 
Transportation and offsite projects are first up for debate tomorrow (May 16) from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Council will be using an interactive spreadsheet throughout this week-long process to show in real-time how each project will affect available funding, MSI replacement “shadow funding” and taxation levels.
 
The public is welcome to attend Council Chambers at City Hall, or watch the debates unfold online.
 
The 2018-2027 CIP could be presented to City Council for final approval as early as next Tuesday (May 23).