City of Regina outlines plan to save $2.9M in 2023 budget Globalnews.ca

downtown regina has outlined its plan to save nearly $3 million from the 2023 municipal budget.

The city administration initially proposed a 4.67 percent mill rate increase to be included in the 2023 budget, but the final budget passed by the city council in December resulted in a 3.67 percent increase.

According to the report, the city will attract five sectors for savings.

The city will cut travel and training for city employees, counseling, pay and benefits, and what the city has dubbed an “alternative funding source.”

“We’ll take $20,000 in savings and $200,000 in savings,” Regina Mayor Sandra Masters said in an interview with Global News. “The idea is to make it a habit to continually look for ways you can potentially invest in something.”

According to the city, the 25 percent reduction in travel and training budgets is expected to save the city $500,000.

The consulting budget will also be cut by roughly 20 percent, for an estimated savings of $425,000.

According to the report, the biggest savings are expected to come from operational efficiencies including civilian fleet maintenance and “fleet ratcheting”, which will reduce the number of fleet assets. The City expects to reduce spending in this area by $784,000.

“The training required to do the job will continue,” Masters said Wednesday after an executive committee meeting. “It’s all going to come back to the leadership table to determine that.”

The total savings would be $2,931,000.

Masters said he was pleased with how quickly the city was able to find areas to save Regina residents a few dollars.

“Every department was coming forward with ideas about where to give them,” Masters said.

The City Administration will provide quarterly updates to the Council on cost savings measures associated with the 2023 budget.

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