COVID-19 interferes with Moose Jaw’s plans for 2020

Mayor Fraser Tolmie says Moose Jaw city council was ecstatic when it got its 2020 budget done before Christmas last year.

Then COVID-19 arrived in Saskatchewan and all of the numbers went out the window.

On Monday, city council will readdress Moose Jaw’s financial plan for the year.

“We are looking at finding cost savings, so that will be a discussion that’s going to be coming up this Monday,” Tolmie said on the Greg Morgan Morning Show this week.

“Depending on how long this (pandemic) goes, (revisiting the budget) might be something that we have to look at again in the future, but hopefully not. With the way that we’re moving forward, we’re hoping that it’ll just be a one-time opening up.”

Tolmie said council isn’t planning on raising taxes, but the city has to get infrastructure projects done. That’s going to have to be addressed if there isn’t a tax increase.

“There was a period in Moose Jaw’s history in the early ’90s where they had zeroes (in percentage increases in taxes), but those zeroes really impacted our ability to do work, so we don’t want to do that,” Tolmie said. “We’re going to be learning from our mistakes of the past.

“We have to realize that this is not just going to impact us this year,” the mayor added. “This is going to be an impact for a couple of years and so we have to think long term when we’re doing the budget process.”

Tolmie said Moose Jaw residents have been cognizant of the public health orders put in place because of COVID-19. He noted the city has had what he termed “very few incidents” of people violating the orders.

Some businesses that could have reopened Monday in Phase 1 of the province’s plan to restart the economy didn’t do so because they weren’t ready. Tolmie said city officials are keeping an eye of things, but he agreed the province’s slow and methodical approach was the right one.

He also was on board with the financial stimulus package announced by Premier Scott Moe on Wednesday, when cities and municipalities were provided funding for major projects.

“That’s one of the ways that can get this economy back up and running,” Tolmie said. “The cities do play a big part in that, and infrastructure dollars — getting people back to work — will be a great thing for our community and all communities across Saskatchewan.”