ST. PAUL – The County of St. Paul approved its 2023 Interim Municipal Budget during the regular council meeting on Dec. 19, and with no tax increase being considered.
“We removed a lot of capital out of the interim budget for consideration when we get to the final [budget],” said County of St. Paul CAO Sheila Kitz. “Potentially, some things might come back.”
The County is budgeting $35.5 million in operating and capital revenues, and $34.5 million in operating and capital expenditures for 2023.
Reflected in the interim budget is the approval of a three per cent cost of living salary increase for all County staff, effective by the beginning of 2023. According to Reeve Glen Ockerman, the increase was made in consideration of the higher cost of living and inflation.
Ockerman said the County council tried its “best to keep up” with the inflation, “and I think it's something we need to keep our eye on in the future.”
“But right now, we work to try to make a good balance, a good budget and a balanced budget,” he said and three per cent is “where we ended up with.”
Council has also agreed to a 4.5 per cent salary increase for the CAO, following the annual CAO evaluation.
“It’s great that we finally got the interim budget here,” said Reeve Glen Ockerman. “It might change a little bit in the New Year or towards spring when we see the final numbers.”
Coun. Dale Hedrick then referred back to the interim budget, stating that “the best part is we’re not increasing the taxes.”
Fee schedule adjustments
During the December meeting, council also approved changes to Bylaw 2022-27 Fee Schedule. Included in the bylaw is the increase of fees for residents who do not purchase an annual snow removal flag, but are requesting snow removal services from the County.
Kitz said there have been invoices “as low as $16.75” for example, when a one-ton truck is used to plow a driveway. Also, factors like administration and travel time were not being reflected in the cost.
She said the price is also based on the current rates of the Fee Schedule Bylaw, which is 50 per cent of the Road Builders Rates. “So, we would like to set a minimum charge,” which would be $50 to clear snow, said Kitz.
Deputy Reeve Maxine Fodness agreed, stating, “I’m more than happy with the $50 flat rate than anything else as a minimum.”
“On the average, [clearing] a driveway takes about 15 minutes,” said Fodness. “Anything over that, that person should pay more.”
Following more discussions on the topic, the council agreed to set a minimum rate of $50 per clearing.
Other changes to the Fee Schedule Bylaw include an increase in the cost of private gravel sales. Retrieved from the County, the increase are the following:
$16 increased to $18/tonne delivered – max 25 tonnes/rural address or approved development permit max changed from $400 to $450.
$10 increased to $12/tonne self-haul – max 25 tonnes/rural address hauled directly from a Gravel Pit max changed from $250 to $300.
$15 increased to $17/tonne self-haul – max 25 tonnes/rural address hauled from County yard max changed from $375 to $425.
The bylaw is effective Jan. 1, 2023.
TWP 590 Brushing
County of St. Paul administration requested County council ratify some custom, brushing work completed by Public Works for a landowner amounting to about $17,000. According to information from the County, the invoice total is 50 per cent of the “Road Builders rate.”
Reeve Glen Ockerman said it is difficult approving a project, “when I don’t know what’s happening,” and that County council was not approached ahead of time.
Ockerman also raised concerns about having heavy equipment remain on site for about two weeks due to inclement weather conditions. “We have too many municipal projects going on... we can’t be pulling equipment off and going to do these [custom] jobs,” said Ockerman.
Additionally, Ockerman also raised concerns about providing custom work for half the rate. The same concern was shared by Coun. Louis Dechaine.
According to Daniel Reid, Director of Public Works, the work took 265.5 hours to complete. Calculating the total invoice, Dechaine stated the rate was less than $100 per hour.
Meanwhile, “I’m paying $205 an hour,” said Dechaine, referring to a similar brushing work he had done with a private contractor, noting the cost of diesel and operations also contribute to the total cost.
After a lengthy discussion, council approved ratifying the work and invoicing the landowner 50 per cent of the Road Builder Rate for the hours worked. According to the administration, the total invoice may be more than $17,000.
Moving forward, Ockerman asked Public Works administration to discuss approval of custom work with council to avoid issues. Reid affirmed, stating council will be approached for approval in the future.
2023 Library Commitments
As per the County of St. Paul Library Board’s request, council has approved a contribution of $108,000 for the library board’s 2023 budget, which is less than the previous year, according to Kitz. “They budgeted to use their carryover from 2022,” she explained.
According to the library board’s 2023 preliminary budget, the board had a net surplus of around $22,000 for 2022, which is about $17,000 higher than its budgeted surplus.
In addition, the Northern Lights Library System (NLLS) also increased its library levy by 1.5 per cent following the approval of its 2023 budget. County council accepted the increase and will submit $32,752.08 for 2023, based on $5.31 per capita.
The levies will match the population used by the provincial government to calculate “the Library System operating grant,” according to NLLS chairman Vicky Lefebvre’s letter to the County.
