2014
Budget in Brief
Key Dates December 2nd, 2013
2014 Proposed Budget presented to Brandon City Council
December 11th, 2013
2014 Proposed Budget Public Feedback Forum (Main Foyer, Brandon City Hall)
January 10th & January 11th , 2014
Brandon City Council 2014 Proposed Budget Deliberations
March 17th, 2014
2014 Budget Public Hearing
April 7th, 2014
Adoption of 2014 Financial Plan; 1st Reading of 2014 Tax Levy By-law
April 22nd, 2014
2nd and 3rd Reading of 2014 Tax Levy By-law
*All meetings held in Council Chambers, Brandon City Hall, 410 9th Street, unless otherwise stated. All meetings start at 7:30 p.m.
Budget 2014 Overview Planning for Budget 2014 began many months ago, in an effort to ensure Brandon City Council and the community could be presented with a comprehensive financial plan that would support the City of Brandon in the final year of its Roadmap For Growth Strategic Plan and beyond.
Scott Hildebrand City Manager
Shari Decter Hirst
Mayor
To ensure this outcome, Administration and Council met numerous times during the summer and fall months of 2013, gathering to discuss the City’s financial landscape, its staffing realities, its Roadmap For Growth progress/ future goals, and any budgeting “hurts and helps” on the horizon in 2014. A continued commitment to involve the community early in the budget process also provided for a public forum in the fall of 2013, during which time Mayor, Council and
City Administration all heard firsthand about the community’s spending priorities and how those might be funded. In planning for Budget 2014, focus and attention was placed on the organization’s changing employee age demographics and necessary succession management strategies; its organizational structures, vacancy management and hiring controls; its continued labour negotiations and improvement of employee relations; and the tangible performance management results already being seen through the City’s new Corporate Scorecard. At the same time, careful thought was also given to the ability of our community to bear municipal tax increases amidst a time of change and growth in our city, our province and our country. As such, the proposed 2014 budget is one that the City of Brandon firmly believes balances community growth with fiscal responsibility. We are investing in several key areas in the final year of our Roadmap For Growth Strategic Plan, including our airport and transit services, our infrastructure deficit, and our housing strategy. At the same time, the budget process has been stabilized and strengthened by the continued commitment of all City Departments to submit budgets that either held the line on spending or incorporated sustainable revenues and/or efficiencies into their budget. Each department budget is justified and, together, provides an overall financial plan that represents responsible growth for our community.
Budget 2014: The Numbers The proposed 2014 Budget represents a 2.85% increase in municipal property taxes over 2013. For the average homeowner in Brandon, that reflects an approximate $49 increase on the municipal portion of their tax bill. This Budget in Brief document provides highlights of the proposed 2014 budget, but more importantly, it lays out for its residents and taxpayers a sense of “value for dollar” – something that the City of Brandon always strives to provide for its community.
Making ‘Cents’ of your Tax Bill The average residential municipal property tax bill in Brandon was $1,733.13 in 2013*. With the proposed 2014 budget, this will increase by 2.85% to $1,782.47. The proposed 2.85% municipal tax increases represents the increase in the City’s tax levy requirement that would be spread across all Brandon properties in 2014. Due to changes in assessment for 2014, your property may see a change in municipal taxes greater or less than 2.85%. *For a residential property assessed at $200,000 in 2013
Your $1,782.47 in Municipal Taxes* Will Go Toward... Protective Services Infrastructure Support Services Recreation, Culture, Parks & Youth Transit Sanitation & Environment Growth, Economic Development, & Affordable Housing
Annual % Cost $ 634.79 35.6% $ 417.94 23.4% $ 196.00 11.0% $ 191.13 10.7% $ 127.33 7.1% $ 110.27 6.2% $ 105.01 5.9% $1,782.47 100.0%* *rounded
Cost per day $1.74 $1.15 $0.54 $0.52 $0.35 $0.30 $0.31 $4.91
That means in 2014, for less than $5.00 a day, the City of Brandon organization will be able to provide you, as a citizen of Brandon, with a wide breadth of services in the following areas, each and every day of the year.
City of Brandon 2014 Revenues: Where The Money Will Come From
PERMITS, LICENSES, AND FINES
OTHER INCOME
$5,000,000
$3,100,000
USER FEES AND SALES OF GOODS
$7,800,000
PROPERTY TAXES
$41,800,000 UNCONDITIONAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFERS
$8,800,000
Operating Budget: CONDITIONAL GOVERNMENT TRANSFERS
$8,800,000
$75.3 Million
Protective Services:
$635 annually per residence or $1.74 a day (on average) The City’s Protective Services division, comprised of the Brandon Police Services ($0.97 a day); Brandon Fire & Emergency Services ($0.59 a day); Emergency Communications ($0.16 a day); and Risk and Emergency Management Services ($0.02 a day), all work to ensure that Brandon’s residents are safe, secure and prepared for emergency situations.
32,706 calls for police service answered a year A comprehensive Brandon Emergency Plan for all-hazard emergency response
4,500-plus calls for Fire/ EMS service a year
Around-the-clock E-911 dispatch service for Brandon and 194 other Fire Departments, with approximately 170,000 calls answered a year.
*All service statistics are based on 2012 year-end
Infrastructure:
$418 annually per residence or $1.15 per day (on average) The City of Brandon’s daily investment in infrastructure touches almost every aspect of the community and is highlighted in the areas of engineering services ($0.27 a day), building maintenance ($0.22 a day), street resurfacing and maintenance ($0.24 a day), property administration ($0.14 cents a day), snow removal and traffic signal maintenance ($0.12 a day), Brandon’s Municipal Airport ($0.04 a day), the City’s vehicle fleet ($0.04 a day), and drainage services ($0.01 a day) – as well as funding aid for the community’s Keystone Centre ($0.07 a day).
Maintenance of 379 kms of roads, 99 kms of back lanes, 226 kms of sidewalks and 52 kms of walking/biking paths 5,000-plus potholes filled a year Municipal Airport complete with a 6,000-foot, all-season runway, Instrument Landing System, daily scheduled screened passenger air service, and numerous non-screened passenger services
*All service statistics are based on 2012 year-end
220-plus road excavation repairs and addition of 3 kms of new roads and corresponding underground utilities a year
Financial responsibility and oversight for the City’s operating and utility budgets ($76 million and $18 million, respectively, in 2013)
Coordination of nearly 50 Council meetings and 200-plus councillor enquiries a year
Maintenance of 22 websites with 1.8 million page visits a year Administration of more than 122,000 electronic corporate records a year
Support Services:
$196 annually per residence or $0.54 per day (on average) The City of Brandon’s Support Services section provides the City of Brandon organization and the community with vital daily services in the areas of information technology ($0.19 a day), human resources ($0.10 a day), treasury and finance ($0.06 a day) , and various aspects of clerical and administrative support ($0.19 a day).
*All service statistics are based on 2012 year-end
Recreation, Culture, Parks and Youth:
$191 annually per residence or $0.53 per day (on average) The City of Brandon’s commitment to Recreation, Culture, Parks and Youth is evident in its annual allocations to Parks operations ($0.16 a day), the municipal cemetery ($0.03 a day), Brandon’s Community Sportsplex and Wheat City Golf Course/ Recreation Centre ($0.21 a day), community and youth initiatives ($0.07 a day), outdoor pools and YMCA funding ($0.04 a day), Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium funding ($0.01), and heritage support ($0.01).
260 hanging flower baskets, 305 planters, 20 flower beds and more than 300 community garden plots
Recreation Centre facility with an 18-hole, 6,300-yard golf course, 4 championship tennis courts, 6 kms of groomed ski trails and snowshoeing trails, toboggan hills.
*All service statistics are based on 2012 year-end
8,100-plus hours of youth programming, 4,200-plus hours of community programming and 300-plus hours of cultural programming
6,800 operational hours of Brandon’s Community Sportsplex a year
Transit:
$127 annually per residence or $0.35 per day (on average) Brandon’s Transit services ($0.34 a day) and HandiTransit services ($0.01 a day) are available seven days a week to provide essential transportation services.
Fixed route ridership of 1.2 million each year, with an average of 3,900 passengers a day Five dedicated Handi-Transit vehicles, providing door-todoor service for nearly 70 passengers a day
Estimated economic spinoff of between $3 to $8 for every $1 invested in public transit
*All service statistics are based on 2012 year-end
9 regular bus routes a day
Sanitation and Environment:
$110 annually per residence or $0.30 per day (on average) Investment into the City of Brandon’s recycling, refuse and compost collection and landfill operations ($0.29 a day) and Environmental Initiatives section ($0.01 a day) pays dividends, witnessed by the City’s successful recycling and compost programs.
44 million kgs of refuse collected a year Diversion of 8.64 million kgs of recyclables, 3.19 million kgs of construction and demolition materials, and 115,000 kgs of e-waste a year
Residential Green Cart program, with 3,000-plus participants and diversion of nearly 900,000 kgs of organic material
12-plus community environmental initiatives *All service statistics are based on 2012 year-end
Growth, Economic Development and Affordable Housing: $105 annually per residence or $0.31 per day (on average)
Brandon’s growth investments can be seen each day in the areas of building safety/planning and development ($0.14 a day), economic development and tourism initiatives ($0.06 a day), residence assistance and housing initiatives ($0.05 a day), urban renewal ($0.02 a day) and community grants ($0.04 a day).
More than 940 building permits issued for construction projects valued in excess of $138 million a year
8,400 building/construction inspections annually
Host for 24,000 visitors to Brandon a year
A variety of business development/expansion services available to Brandon’s 2000-plus businesses
*All service statistics are based on 2012 year-end
Proposed Highlights of Budget 2014 The 2014 budget proposed by City administration is one that continues responsible, strategic investment in the City of Brandon Roadmap For Growth. Among the proposed highlights are: Funding for an enhanced Mosquito Surveillance and Abatement Program
Investment in City’s growth and infrastructure, via key positions in the City’s Engineering Department and the annual commitment of dedicated funds to address aging roads, sidewalks and drainage Augmentation of annual snow removal budget to ensure quick, safe and efficient snow-clearing services
Expansion of services at the Brandon Municipal Airport to ensure the sustainability of daily scheduled air service
Commitment of funds to aid the Keystone Centre with necessary roof repairs
Implementation of permanent Sunday service for Brandon Transit
The addition of a dedicated Affordable Housing Specialist position to move forward the City’s Affordable Housing Strategy
Establishment of a Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee reserve fund to address future maintenance, renovations or restorations of Cityowned municipal heritage-designated properties