The City of Cold Lake has passed their 2018 operating budget with 4.8 per cent tax increase and an average five per cent rise in the cost of user fees.
The City of Cold Lake has passed their 2018 operating budget with 4.8 per cent tax increase and an average five per cent rise in the cost of user fees.
Council made a motion to pass their 2018 operational budget at an estimated $51-million during their regular meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 12.
They will also revisit projects such as free transit at the Cold Lake north arena.
Read more in next week's edition.
Council passes 2018 capital budget
Council passed a capital budget they believe is much smaller in scale than anticipated for 2018.
"This is where missing the $10-million (ID 349) is going to hurt the most... When you look at the list of projects, they can almost be described as one-offs, but there are no big infrastructure build-outs," expressed Mayor Craig Copeland.
The $11.5-million capital budget includes $8-million in funding from the ID 349 agreement, $1.6-million in restricted surplus, and $1.8-million in grant funding.
Read more in next week's edition.
An update on crime
Cold Lake RCMP Detachment S/Sgt. Jeremie Landry made a presentation to council on crime throughout the City of Cold Lake, and revealed although it may seem as though it's on the rise, crime has remained fairly steady since 2014.
In 2013, the detachment responded to 8,844 PROS files. From January to November 30 of this year, they have responded to 8,673.
Of those calls, 3,122 were rural, and 5,551 were within the City of Cold Lake.
Read more in next week's edition.
Paving the way for the Cold Lake Airport
Jeff Knight and Eric Hansen of the Cold Lake Regional Airport User's Group, pitched an opportunity for council to bump up the paving of the taxiway at the Cold Lake Regional Aiport.
The pair were seeking $500,000 in funding for the project to get started in 2018.
Council agreed to discuss the matter at a future council meeting.
Read more in an upcoming edition.
Finding a home for 2017 accumulated surplus
Council approved a list of top 10 items to be completed using the 2017 anticipated $1.49-million accumulated surplus.
On that list was the capital grant policy to a tune of $50,000, contingency funding at $20,000, $125,000 for the Cold Lake Airshow, $30,000 for the Street Festival, another $10,000 for the Citywide Sale, and $35,000 for a billboards campaign.
Also included was tree clearing at the Kinosoo playground, leaving the north arena vacant for the off season at $83,000, the annexation at $600,000, and transferring capital projects listed in the capital budget at a cost of $492,000.
