Photo by Curtis Galbraith.

By Curtis Galbraith

City Hall

Council highlights from Monday’s meeting: budget shortfall so far in 2023

Nov 15, 2023 | 6:00 AM

Grande Prairie City Council met on Tuesday (November 14). Highlights from the meeting include:

Budget shortfall so far in 2023

The city’s third-quarter financial update was projecting a budget shortfall of $1.29 million for 2023 as of September 30.

Chief Financial Officer Danielle Whiteway says there are several factors that led to this, including inflation driving some expenses higher than projected when the budget was set.

“We’ve also seen a significant reduction in the amount of court fine revenues that we’re collecting as a city and that has been one of the (bigger) factors contributing to the 2023 shortfall.”

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Other factors cited by city staff include grant funding, building permit revenue, and tenant rent from the Coordinated Care Campus all being lower than projected.

Whiteway says city staff will be looking at ways to mitigate this shortfall in hopes of bringing the number down by the end of the year. That includes looking at staffing vacancies to see if filling them can be delayed.

Maskwa Medical Centre request going to budget talks

Council has approved sending a request for funding from the proponents of the proposed Maskwa Medical Centre to budget talks.

The backers of this facility say in a package sent to city hall that it is meant to improve access to medical specialists and services for people in the Peace region, with a goal of having a treatment plan in place for patients within 10 days. This would be done by providing access to specialists from around Alberta.

This would also include an expanded teaching clinic. A memorandum of understanding on expanded teaching was signed with the University of Alberta in late October.

The design of a new building has started with the hope that construction of a new building could start by 2024.

Staff to study locations for Covered Outdoor Structure

Council has asked administration to look into three possible locations for a new Covered Outdoor Structure for sports and recreation.

The original plan was to put this at the outdoor rink by Swanavon School, but a delegation from the neighbourhood told council they had concerns over the proposed design and safety and security of this structure.

A city committee had recommended council approve having staff look at options to have this near the Activity & Reception Centre in the Smith area, but some on council felt that it might be better to put something in a neighbourhood that doesn’t currently have anything.

Any recommendations would go to 2025 budget discussions.

Cricket pitch idea referred to budget

Council has referred potential changes to enhance safety at the cricket pitch located along 121 Avenue.

Council will discuss having temporary fencing between the cricket pitch and a nearby playground.

There would also be fencing between the playground and a practice pitch if the idea is included in the budget.

Moving the practice pitch at the current location, moving it somewhere else, or moving the whole cricket grounds, were the other options considered.

Pancreatic Cancer Day Proclamation

Mayor Jackie Clayton also read out a proclamation declaring November 16, Pancreatic Cancer Day in Grande Prairie.

The proclamation says close to 6,700 people will be diagnosed with this disease in 2023.

It has the lowest survival rate among all major cancers and is the third-leading cause of cancer deaths in Canada.

City council’s next regular meeting is scheduled for November 27.