WEYBURN - The timeline for working on the 2025 budget for the City of Weyburn was set at Monday’s council meeting, with the municipal election to push the timeline later by about a month compared to the last couple of years.
Due to the election, set for Nov. 13, the preliminary budget will now be presented to council on Dec. 9, with a presentation by the city manager and department heads to start the budget-making process.
An open house will be held some time between Dec. 10 and 21, said city manager Mathew Warren, as council and administration seek input from the public on what the priorities should be for the budget, and to familiarize the public with the city’s operations.
The location and times for the open house have yet to be determined.
After input is received from the public on the preliminary budget, it will be brought back for a discussion with council on Jan. 13, 2025. At this meeting, the council will give an opportunity to delegations by individuals or groups to make their views known on the budget and its priorities.
“An open budget process offers citizens an opportunity to learn about the municipal budget process, provide input on priorities and influence the allocation of public resources,” said Warren in his report to council, adding this process also ensures transparency and accountability to the public.
Coun. Laura Morrissette said she appreciates the preliminary work that will be done on the budget, recalling when she was elected in 2020, she felt daunted to come on as a new councillor and have to deal with the city budget from the very start.
Warren noted the fall election will push back the process by about a month, and said they need to get a jump on it in order to get Requests for Proposals (RFPs) out to contractors for next year’s projects.
“We are looking forward to working with whoever is on council and getting them the information they require to work through the budget process,” said Warren.
• In other council business, council approved a tender bid for a lagoon dike repair project that needs to be done this fall.
The project is to repair the berms of the secondary lagoon treatment cells, as the southeast berms of cells 1 and 2 are eroding, and have been identified as a risk for a potential sewage bypass if it’s not repaired.
Two proposals were sent to the city, and engineering selected the proposal from a numbered company, 2042896 Alberta Ltd., in the amount of $61,100. The other proposal was for $99,500 from Gee Bee Construction Co. Ltd.
City engineer Renee Cugnet said the work needs to be done this fall.
