The parks and recreation department would need its annual budget increased by 114 per cent to ensure that all recreational structures are adequately maintained and funded, according to the department.
The average annual capital funding provided to the parks department during the past 10 years has been $1,096,181, although the 2020 budget proposes providing $1,072,995, which is a two-per-cent reduction from the average.
Next year’s funding equates to 0.69 per cent of the approximate replacement value being put toward building and structure renewal, the department’s 2020 budget report says. If the municipality provided capital funding based on 1.5 per cent of the replacement value of structures, the annual funding would need to be increased to $2.3 million.
Report background
A past report from the parks and rec department to the budget committee indicated the replacement value of all capital assets and recreational structures — buildings, parks, trails, cemeteries — exceeds $155 million.
The department has a five-year plan to complete several projects, with all funded projects to cost $5.9 million and all unfunded projects to cost $8.7 million. A large portion of that unfunded account is for the outdoor pool replacement, the report said. The current funded plan consists of building and structure renewal and does not include any new infrastructure projects.
Besides the outdoor pool replacement, other priority projects that remain unfunded include: the demolition of the YMCA building, Iron Bridge pathway lights and landscaping upgrades, Memorial Field upgrades, city hall bell restoration, Yara Centre LED lighting conversion, and upgrades to the outdoor pickleball/tennis courts.
The parks and recreation department presented a report during a recent special budget meeting that indicated the department faced a capital shortfall of $295,000 and needed additional money for projects.
Council voted 6-1 to spend $109,000 to upgrade the Pla-Mor Palace dressing rooms; Coun. Brian Swanson was opposed.
Council voted 4-3 to spend $80,000 to upgrade the interior lighting at the cultural centre; Swanson and councillors Scott McMann and Dawn Luhning were opposed.
Council voted 6-1 to spend $51,000 to upgrade the irrigation system in the Iron Bridge development; Swanson was opposed.
Council dropped a fourth project that would have created a master plan for $55,000.
Council discussion
This is an opportunity to create a capital fund for the parks and rec department since it is underfunded and city administration needs to find a way to increase that funding, explained city manager Jim Puffalt. This coming year seems to be the time to create that fund, which is why one per cent of the proposed 2.02-per-cent tax increase is dedicated to the parks department.
“From administration’s point of view … it’s absolutely critical that we carry forward in this process and ensure we are looking after everything as much as we can,” he added.
The department is monitoring how active parks are in the community, parks director Derek Blais told Coun. Scott McMann. There is an audit planned next year for all playgrounds that will help determine the population around those parks and whether a plan is needed to upgrade some of those green spaces.
Parks and rec will also consult with the community on what its needs are in those areas, he added.
Moose Jaw’s population has remained unchanged for decades and it has the economy of a community of 25,000 people, but it has the cultural and recreational amenities of a municipality double or triple in size, said Swanson. The list the parks department presented of its capital projects shows it has been one of the “most richly funded areas” within the last 10 years.
More and more recreational amenities continue to be built but they are not adequately funded for maintenance, Swanson continued. Every group wants its own special project, but that is not working financially for the municipality and is unsustainable.
“The money required off of the tax base to do maintenance properly would sink the tax base,” he added.
If council doesn’t move to make its recreational buildings a priority, then there will be many structures that will sit unused and will look derelict similar to the Natatorium, said Coun. Crystal Froese. She knows many residents wouldn’t want to see that happen.
There are also thousands of people who live in Moose Jaw but commute for work to Regina, she continued. They choose to live here because of the recreational amenities and quality of life. This is why council needs to treat all recreational structures as complete assets, similar to how it treats roads.
“If we do not include these in the budget,” Froese added, “they’ll cost us more money down the road and we’ll have to write a cheque one way or another” to upgrade or demolish the buildings.
The final budget meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 11.
