Edmonton boosts snow and ice budget by $4.7M; additional $54M on the table

Edmonton will dip into reserve funds in an effort to improve road and sidewalk conditions this upcoming winter.

City council voted 13-0 Monday afternoon to increase the snow and ice control budget by $4.7 million.

"Barring any unforeseen changes to extreme weather here in Edmonton, we will see an improvement for the people of Edmonton. So that is something to look forward to," Coun. Aaron Paquette said during the meeting.

A move to spend an additional $54.4 million over three years could also be finalized during fall budget discussions.

Councillors voted 12-1 Monday to move forward on that, which would increase the annual budget from $57.1 million to $111.5 million by 2025. If approved, that plan could cost property owners an additional three per cent in taxes over three years.

A report presented last Tuesday estimates the budget increase would allow crews to clear arterial roads two days faster. Neighbourhood blading, the clearing of city-owned sidewalks and pathways and snow removal around bus stops would also improve, the report states.

Coun. Karen Principe voted against the long-term budget change effort over concerns that bike lanes were being prioritized over sidewalks.

"We are looking at 0.5 days for the bike network, where city sidewalks and ramps is 2.8 days. I feel like that's a fairly large discrepancy and I just can't support that," Principe said.

A recent city survey found that 60 per cent of Edmontonians support spending more on snow clearing, even if it means a bump in taxes.

"$4.7 million is a relatively modest amount to allow us to get started on this work," Coun. Tim Cartmell said. "I do think this allows us to course correct in a few months when we get to the four year budget and in the meantime get some work done."

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson