Council will vote on the proposed capital budget for 2014—in the amount of nearly $4.6 million—at its April 1 regular meeting.
The budget includes funding for the library and cultural centre—up to the $8.5 million that was previously approved by council. And it also covers pavement and utilities for the 800 block of Connaught Drive ($800,000), sidewalk paving for the Caribou Creek Co-ops ($305,000), wayfinding signage ($290,000), sidewalk and parking paving for the library and cultural centre ($200,000), paving at the waste water treatment plant ($115,000), repairs to the firehall roof and hose tower ($65,000), and new large garbage bins to replace the dilapidated ones around town ($60,000).
Projects paid for out of the capital budget are funded by restricted and unrestricted funds, as well as grants.
When asked whether the proposed budget is reasonable, Alice Lettner, the municipality’s director of finance, said it’s “doable.”
“However,” she said, “these are tentative proposals and you have to recognize that as Mr. [Bruce] Thompson fills in more of the information with our GIS project and as other issues come to the forefront, such as replacement of the Zamboni—if that is something that has to be done— these proposals will change in priority and have to be revamped.”
The GIS project—which is mapping out all of Jasper’s underground infrastructure to determine what’s there and what needs to be replaced and when—could affect the budget if it’s determined repairs need to be completed within the year.
As for the library project, which will most certainly be over budget by the time it is completed, Lettner said the funds to make up for that will be found in the municipality’s unrestricted reserve.
“There is no additional grant money available for that because, if we take any more grant money, we can’t continue with any new projects,” she said. “The unrestricted funds will be mainly consumed by the library.”
As things stand, $300,000 remains in the budget for the project, and administration is requesting an additional million to cover future costs.
The entire capital budget, including a review of last year’s actuals and projections for the next three years, is available on the municipality’s website: www.jasper-alberta.com. To find it, visit the site and click “Proposed 2014 Capital Budget” on the righthand side.
ĚýNicole Veerman
[email protected]
