Director of Protective Services/Fire Chief Lindsay Holm had recommended adding the position as part of sweeping changes to the CSO program, one that would see community policing in the city take on a four-tiered approach with the RCMP, the CSOs, bylaw and commissionaires. “This is part and parcel of the whole asset management strategy that we’re trying to implement to optimize the efficiencies of our CSOs, and trying to initiate that downtown core initiative with having our CSOs patrolling down in that area to try and create a better environment,” Holm said at the meeting. The new CSO deputy commander position would assist with downtown stakeholder engagement and operational effectiveness, according to administration.
But while COVID-19 was something that caught a lot of people by surprise, the pandemic was something the city saw coming. As early as January, the events in China and elsewhere around the world where the still-unnamed novel coronavirus was wreaking havoc were noticed by city officials. Before the pandemic was even declared in March, the city was working on a pandemic plan and they had also struck a deal with Battleford for a joint administrative committee to deal with the pandemic response. A temporary pandemic policy, based on an existing document that was already in place at City Hall, was approved at council March 9 just days before the first COVID-19 case hit Saskatchewan. At the council meeting, city manager Randy Patrick and director of protective services Lindsay Holm cited the urgency of getting something in place right away; their concern that something big was about to happen proved prophetic.
That means the budget, with its proposed one percent property tax increase, now heads to council for discussion and potential adoption on Monday, Dec. 14. In the end, there were no changes to the proposals administration had put forward on taxes. The consensus at the end of the night was to stick with the one percent increase in the general fund, which will flow to capital reserves. For utilities, the consensus was also to stick with the proposed zero percent increase in the utilities fund. The consensus is also to go with a zero increase to Underground Pipes and Asphalt Replacement for 2021.
The presentations from all the city departments have now wrapped up. The feeling from council is they should meet again Thursday night for some final discussions, as they consider whether to go ahead with the administration proposal of a one percent property tax increase for 2021, or adjust it up or down. That deliberation session is scheduled to begin at 6:20 p.m. Thursday evening, and is again open to the public on ZOOM. It will be held right after council meets for an in-camera matter. The latest three-hour-long budget session covered a lot of ground. One discussion right at the start was a holdover from Monday’s discussion: whether money could be found for the “unfunded” additional CSO position so it could be included in the 2021 budget.