Saskatoon City Council shaved off the projected funding gap by $21.6 million in 2024 and $1.6 million in 2025 but much of that money was found by simply deferring projected increases in staff or by not increasing funding for things such as bus stop snow removal and Saskatoon Transit. Parking rates however are going up by 50 cents an hour and the cost of the parking app user fees are going to be transferred to the person using the app. The one thing they did not do was cut existing positions. A suggestion made by the executive director of the NSBA in his presentation to the special budget meeting. Keith Moen leans towards a Human Resources audit.

“I think the HR audit will also look at the work from home policy that the city is conducting and finding exactly how much work is being done from home.  I think it will also determine where home is for some of these people that are working from home.  It’s my understanding that not everybody is in Saskatoon or even the province or the country for that matter, when they’re working from home and their off time is spent in other areas and other locales.”

Moen acknowledged that cutting staff involves difficult decisions and he favoured not cutting front-line staff. He also said it is an opportunity to bring down HR costs without truly impacting those being let go because “they will be gobbled up in no time” in light of a hot labour market particularly for professional, skilled help. He describes this as opportunities for the city that won’t be present in other years.  There is another special budget meeting in August to deal with the remaining $49.4-million funding gap in the budget for 2024 and 2025.

Initiatives City Council requested administration integrate into the 2024/2025 Preliminary 2024/2025 Multi-Year Business Plan and Budget:

• Limit inflationary increases to 25% of the programs projected requirements  for Roadways, Facilities Maintenance, Saskatoon Light and Power’s  Maintenance Requirements and Fire Apparatus Replacement
• Defer phase-ins for future operating impacts for fire halls, the East Leisure  Centre and expansion of Transit to growing neighborhoods’ which will  be addressed in the future years when they are operationally required
• Lowering the City’s Corporate Fuel Estimates by $0.15 per litre
• Adjustments to the City’s plan to repay the 2022 Emergency Snow  Response and build funding for future responses
• Increase Parking Rates by $0.50/hour
• Transfer the cost of Parking App User Fees to the end user
• No increases for  City Yard Security funding
• Defer increases for Roadway Maintenance Training positions
• Defer increases  for paved roadways and sidewalk maintenance positions
• Defer increases for snow and ice management positions
• Defer increases for new street sweeping positions
• Defer increases for transportation services positions
• Limit inflationary increases  in the snow and ice management program to $300,000 in 2024 and $350,000 in 2025
• No increases for inflation in street cleaning and sweeping program
• No increases for funding for bus stop snow removal
• No increases for training funding for Saskatoon Transit