City of Regina considers cancelling holiday 'Light the Lights' event to help trim mill rate

Yahoo

02-05-2025

Regina may be looking at a dusty summer and one less holiday event this year to save $1.55 million on the 2025 general operating budget.
A report presented to executive committee on Wednesday outlined a plan to find the money, as directed by city council during previous budget talks. It entails cutting from several internal and public-facing projects, plus cancelling the annual Light the Lights celebration held at city hall in December.
Council issued the directive in March as an asterisk on its 2025 budget to shave 0.5 per cent from the proposed mill rate increase, thus landing on 7.33 per cent — still a record-high jump.
The motion was left open-ended for administration to decide where to find the cuts after council walked back a first version that called specifically for cutting out-of-scope jobs.
'When we provide direction to 'just find money,' this is the consequence,' Ward 6 councillor Victoria Flores said during Wednesday's meeting, after other councillors voiced discontent with administration's suggested cuts.
'I don't know we'll ever be happy with this, as it always means cutting services, so that I think is a lesson learned.'
Administration is hoping to find the lion's share of the $1.55-million savings from the Government of Canada's cancellation of the consumer carbon tax on natural gas and electricity, estimated to be $600,000.
The rest of the cuts are proposed from deferring planned facility upgrades, reducing security and maintenance for the bathroom at Pat Fiacco Plaza, reducing dust suppression on gravel roads, cancelling mosquito control on 'out-of-town locations' and cancelling Light the Lights 2025.
Chief financial officer Daren Anderson said these items were chosen because options were limited to things under the city's control that would affect the mill rate directly.
This ruled out anything funded by reserves or subject to fluctuation, like gas prices, or altering staff hours as that requires a procedure under employment laws, he said.
'We were also cognizant that we're a quarter of the way through the year, so it had to be something we could do looking forward to save money,' said Anderson, who added that city departments were polled for suggestions and these were chosen as options that would have 'the least impact to our residents and to our customers.'
But some councillors still had concerns about what's on the chopping block. Coun. Dan Rashovich (Ward 1) said he felt like council was 'on the outside' of this decision.
Coun. David Froh (Ward 3) gave an early warning that he intends to ask for this plan to be revisited at the May 7 council meeting, which could lead to administration seeking other options.
'The purpose of that reconsideration motion will be to allow administration and council to look at what has been recommended to be reduced and the amounts to be reduced,' he said.
On the cutting-room floor: Motions that missed during Regina's 2025 budget discussions
'At a critical juncture': Regina city manager, CFO argue for tax hike in city's 2025 budget
City council made a similar post-budget reduction of $2.9 million in 2023, which resulted in internal spending cuts on staff travel, training, consulting, salaries and benefits.
Admin's report notes that cuts in 2025 will slow the city's progress on initiatives to increase downtown vibrancy as well as the Energy and Sustainability Framework by delaying energy-efficient facility upgrades.
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