SASKATOON There will be no tax increase to fund phase one of a new aquatic and arena recreation centre and outdoor fitness park, says Prince Albert Mayor Greg Dionne. Most of the funding for the park is being donated by local Canadian Tire owner Malcolm Jenkins. “The building that we are building now, the two rinks and the pool and the big rink, phase two, that was in my campaign eight years ago … those kinds of projects usually take 10 years,” said Dionne. It’s estimated the aquatic and arena recreation centre will cost $60 million to build. The city’s application to the Canada Infrastructure Program was approved for $44 million and the city has received $24 million from the federal government, and nearly $20 million from the provincial government.
Prince Albert city council has tentatively approved the 2021 budget, which includes a 1.1 per cent mill rate tax increase.
Over the course of three days of budget deliberations, councillors shaved approximately $1.75 million off city administration’s proposed 2021 spending plan, prioritizing the maintenance of spending on city services, while axing some recommended equipment and vehicle purchases, and holding back just over $615,000 from reserve funds.
“Everyone’s struggling because of COVID,” Mayor Greg Dionne told
paNOW after deliberations finished on Tuesday night. “So council took it by the reins and said ‘we’re going to bring it in as cheap as we can and I think they did a very good job.”
Parks improvements, big borrowing part of proposed P A budget panow.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from panow.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.