The City of Saskatoon has a $5 million surplus as the 2012 fiscal year comes to an end and the mayor has ideas of where he wants to spend it.

"The surplus funds will go to roads, bridges and a portion will be put in savings for the future," said Mayor Don Atchison.

Atchison suggests the $5 million should be broken down as follows:
-$1.5 million to maintain, repair and resurface roadways
-$1 million to repair/upkeep bridges
-$730,000 to snow removal reserve
-$340,000 to the roadway expansion fund
-$1.5 million to future savings

Saskatoon City Hall is tweaking its mobile food truck policy in hopes of bringing a first wave of vendors this spring.

“Food trucks are going to happen in Saskatoon, it’s not a question of if it’s going to happen, it’s a question of when,” said Mayor Don Atchison.

On Tuesday city planners presented a program outline to the planning and operations committee, stating where food trucks could operate and what restrictions they must abide by.

A plan to have multi-unit residential recycling in Saskatoon is on the way to becoming a reality.

The city and Cosmo Industries are looking for public input.

"We want to craft the best program so that years from now people will take a look and say how does Saskatoon have such a successful program?," said Ken Gryschuk, manager of business development and community relations with Cosmo Industries.

"It's because we got the input right at the beginning."

The main concern coming up seems to be about people having enough space.

A temporary traffic diverter in Mayfair for the last 18 months could become permanent.

The city's transportation department installed a temporary diverter at the intersection of Avenue C and 38th Street after receiving complaints about shortcutting traffic speeding through Avenue C to get to Circle Drive and the airport, said manager  Angela Gardiner.

Residents in Saskatoon’s southwest corner can look forward to a 14.5-acre off-leash recreation area this summer.

After an informal recreation area between 11th Street and the Canadian Pacific was sold for multi-unit housing development, the City of Saskatoon has chosen a new lot, south of the railway tracks and adjacent to the city’s new civic operations centre.

Cyclists may find themselves with more options after this summer.

The Meewasin Valley Authority board has approved an extension of the trail network to connect Gabriel Dumont Park to Chief Whitecap Park.

The Authority has raised about $8 million for the project so far, and is gearing up for a busy spring to raise another $3 or 4 million to cover the cost.

Drivers used to making U-turns in residential areas might be forced to change their habits.

Saskatoon city council sent a recommendation to have U-turns banned in front of school zones between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. back to the committee level to see if they can amend the traffic bylaw to enforce a 24-hour ban in school zones.

As temperatures continue to creep closer to the pluses, the City of Saskatoon is preparing its public works crew for the big spring melt.

“Every year we plan for a snow melt. Our sewer system is designed to carry more intense rain storms than what a snow melt usually brings,” said Rob Frank, strategic services manager of infrastructure with the city.

“We don’t really have a concern that our sewers can handle it. It’s a matter of making sure our storm sewers can catch the water.”

Six months after the launch of the Community Support Program, community support officers (CSOs) have interacted with close to 600 people classified as vulnerable individuals.

Moving forward, the Street Activity committee chair, Terry Scaddan, is looking for scientific evidence to see if the perceptions in the communities of Broadway, Riversdale and Downtown has changed.