Saskatoon to hike property taxes by 4.7% after 2 days of budget deliberations

Homeowners in Saskatoon will be paying an average$81 more a year in property taxes in 2018.

After two days of deliberations that saw councillors cut extra snow clearing and add more money to the Meewasin Valley Authority, the property tax hike for 2018 came in at 4.7 per cent. The original draft budget was calling for a 4.9 per cent hike.

While this was the city's budget, Mayor Charlie Clark was quick to point out that more than half of that tax hike came as a result of cuts and changes made by the provincial government.

"It would have been a 1.9 per cent property tax increase without the impact of the provincial funding [cut] this year," Clark told reporters Tuesday night.

He told city council the fact provincial buildings are not paying taxes in Saskatoon is an "outstanding inequity" that he is working to fix.

Contained in the budget are hintsfuture big-ticket projects: everything from the proposed bus-rapid-transit systemto a new $40-million suburban recreation complex.

Clark said this budget did a lot of the pre-work to make those future projects viable.

"It's a budget that, under constraints, is also I believe putting the right pieces in place," Clark said.

"I see this as about getting the basics right but also setting up the city for the future."

Provincial cuts affect bottom line, MVAfunding

Aside from the overall reductions in PST revenue and the cuts to provincial grants that were once paid in lieuof property taxes, one of the biggest decisions of the day came because of the provincial cuts.

The MeewasinValley Authority came to council at the last minute asking for money because the province slashed itsbudget, putting it $450,000 in the hole.

Clark said despite councillors agreeing to pay $289,000 to theMeewasinValley Authority this year, the fight to save the authorityis not over.

"The ball is in the province's court on this right now,"Clark told reporters Tuesday night.

"Even with the city's additional funding today, if the province doesn't step up, this is not saving the MVA."

Art gallery promises not to ask for more cash

The city's contribution of $5.4 million annual funding for the RemaiModernwas approved by city council, but not beforeassurances from gallery staff that the Remaiwill remain on budget.

Gallery CEO Gregory Burke told council the gallery won'tbe asking for any more cash from taxpayers, even if it fails to meet its fundraising and attendance targets.

Instead, the gallery's programing and art exhibitions take the hit if the target of $5.3 million in self-generated revenue is not met.

The gallery is already exceedingmembership and attendance targets. So far, 34,000 people have come through the door.