Fuchsia Dragon | [email protected]
Last month, council voted to reduce the town鈥檚 budget to lower property taxes this year by 12 per cent.
But with savings comes service cuts, and the municipality is figuring out how to make up those savings.
Since the motion was passed on April 7, the administration department has implemented workforce and service reductions resulting in budgetary savings of $320,310.
Those reductions included capital projects put on hold or cancelled, all council non-essential travel has been cancelled, municipal staff have been laid off and pay rates for council and management have been frozen.
And this year there will be less frequent grass mowing, less litter picking and maintenance downtown, reduced cemetery maintenance and reduced road maintenance.
But to balance the budget a further $659,380 has to be cut.
Council has now directed Protective Services to be reduced to save $275,000, and planned for the possibility of the fitness and aquatic centre and activity centre to be closed until the end of the year.
Wildflowers daycare will remain closed until there is enough demand for it to be operated on reasonable cost recovery, and transfers to reserves has been cut by 25 per cent.
Councillor Paul Butler said: 鈥淲e have done everything we can do reduce the tax burden this year. The process of coming to these decisions was gut wrenching but it is time for tough decisions.鈥�
Mayor Richard Ireland and councillor Scott Wilson voted against the cuts, having voted for less of a tax reduction in the first place.
Wilson said: 鈥淚 understand we are in a difficult time and support cuts in spending, though not the overall budget. Come next year when we are putting a budget together for 2021, we will be supporting a 15 per cent increase to get back to zero.鈥�
Task force takes shape
An Economic Recovery Task Force is being set up in Jasper to recommend council on strategies and actions to help the town recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The task force will be made up of representatives from Community Futures West Yellowhead, Jasper Employment and Education Centre, Jasper Hotel Association, Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce, major attractions like Marmot Basin and the Skytram, Municipality of Jasper, Parks Canada, Tourism Jasper and others.
Members will provide recommendations to economic, municipal, social and community sectors to help position the community to safely and effectively resume welcoming visitors, in accordance with public health directives from provincial and federal authorities.
