City council trying to stretch $7.75B proposed budget to fit needs of Edmonton

As council begins budget deliberations for the next four-year planning cycle, the mayor and some councillors are already wanting adjustments to the proposed capital plan.

Administration unveiled a recommended budget package two weeks ago that was tabled Monday. Now, city council will begin the month-long deliberation process, which many say will be a difficult process full of trade-offs.

Of the $7.75 billion to be spent, roughly $2 billion will go toward maintaining existing infrastructure, including roads, alleys and city buildings. Major work is needed to rehabilitate the High Level Bridge and a $127 million modernization of Hawrelak Park.

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The proposed budget also includes about $4.4 billion in already approved spending by previous councillors for projects like the Blatchford development and new LRT lines to the city's southeast and west sides.

All that spending leaves councillors with little room for other initiatives, with some indicating adjustments will need to be made.

"We're going to have to switch some stuff around," said Erin Rutherford, who represents Ward Anirniq.

"It's going to be hard to switch, though, because a lot of things are already in progress," Rutherford added. "Or else, are essential to running a city."

Coun. Andrew Knack wants the city to stay true to the original design for the Lewis Farms Recreation Centre, despite administration recommending it to be scaled down to save $58 million. 

Jo-Anne Wright, representing Ward Sspomitapi, believes the city needs to help low-income Edmontonians as inflation rises.

"I think we need to take care of our vulnerable population and work on some affordable housing," she added.

A $92-million proposal to create more subsidized housing units in the city currently needs to be funded. Wright thinks the city must find enough resources to support that project.

"Maybe if we can address that and help people find affordable housing, that might help to address the root cause of some of the crime," Wright said.

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Administration also recommends setting aside more than $316 million for a new transit garage in the southeast, assuming Ottawa matches those dollars next year.

The total cost of that project would be close to $700 million — more than the cost of constructing Rogers Place.

"Why it's going to cost us $700 million, I wonder about that too," said Mayor Amarjeet Sohi when asked about it by CTV News Edmonton. "We are going to have questions to administration on that."

That garage is a "critical component" to the Edmonton Transit Service's fleet storage and maintenance strategy, says Adam Laughlin, deputy city manager of integrated infrastructure services.

"This strategy is designed to guide the renewal and development of existing and future Edmonton Transit Service (capacity)," he added in a statement, "to address the growth capacity and electrification needs of the fleet through 2040."

Laughlin says the garage is also necessary as the city moves toward enabling a zero-emission bus fleet to meet environmental sustainability goals.

Edmontonians also expressed to city council, through multiple surveys, that the city requires better snow and ice control. System improvements are also unfunded in the proposed budget.

"We need to improve on those services," Sohi said. "Those are basic front-facing services that people enjoy."

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Ultimately, the mayor says the budget should focus on improving Edmontonians' quality of life.

"To improve services so that life becomes better and more affordable for Edmontonians," he said. "It's a challenge with limited resources, but we will try to maximize the resources as much as possible."