As you are aware, this past week City Council approved an operating budget increase of 5.3%. In speaking with many of my constituents, the overwhelming opinion was to have a budget closer to the municipal inflation rate of 5%. Under the Municipal Government Act of Alberta Sec 353(1), the 2010 and 2011 budgets are not approved until their respective years and currently the proposed tax increase for those years are used as guidelines only. Council will have at least two opportunities for adjustments; once in April and again in November.

During my campaign of 2007, I spoke of the need to increase front line security by adding more police officers. This budget will allow the Calgary Police Service to equip, recruit and train an additional 242 officers, 77 of them to be located in the Downtown and Beltline areas. In addition, 130 new fire fighters will join the ranks of the Calgary Fire Department.

In addition to front line security, The City of Calgary will be providing much needed curbside recycling for 300,000 homes and Public Transit will be adding 290,000 hours of additional service.

Council has also implemented a $3 Park-N-Ride user fee, which is designed to help pay for increased security and continue maintenance at the 33 sites located throughout Calgary. Currently, the City maintains 14,000 spaces, with more and more non-Calgarians using the space and infrastructure free of charge. This daily user fee will prevent it from being subsided by the tax rate. It should be noted that no Park-N-Rides exist within Ward 8.

When the debate around the 2009 budget began, the original proposal called for a 9.6% increase. Several of my colleagues and I were deeply disturbed by this, given the economic uncertainty we now find ourselves in today.

Given this turmoil, Council reduced the overall proposed operating budget by $35 million in 2009, $45 million in 2010 and $51 million in 2011.
This has been a difficult, and interesting, time for all of us engaged in serving the citizens of Calgary.  The approval of the budget is significant for our City, and it speaks to both the City’s needs and citizen concerns about tax increases during the economic instability we are currently experiencing. In a city such as ours, with new Calgarians still moving here daily and our boundaries continuing to expand, providing essential services was paramount.

If I can be of assistance on any civic matter do not hesitate to contact my office by phone (403) 268-2430, fax (403) 269-3823 or at www.calgary.ca/alderman/ward8.

I pledge to be an accessible, responsive, and strong advocate for the people of Ward 8.