Updated Saskatoon property tax hike may be lower than expected

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As Saskatoon’s new city council worked to review and amend the city’s 2025 budget, a list of organizations pleaded their cases for their own budgets.

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Chief financial officer Clae Hack said population growth and higher building costs mean the city has to invest more in the services it offers.

The net budget change going into 2025 would be an increase of $748,900 — including an overall budget decrease of $888,500, overtaken by an increase in the police budget of $1,640,000 — Hack told council.

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The administration recommended last week that council revise the property tax rate increase to 5.84 per cent, but has since reduced the hike to 5.2 per cent — 0.44 per cent lower than the rate discussed during budget deliberations last year.

The 2024 tax increase was 6.04 per cent, which was the largest since 2014, when taxes went up 7.43 per cent.

Expenses for transportation services, police and the fire department account for roughly two-thirds of the higher costs facing the city, primarily from inflation, according to the report.

Motions brought forward during Monday’s meeting will be added to a list of considerations to be addressed after reports are discussed.

Speakers pressed council to fund improvements to transportation services, tighten the number of city staff, and address increased numbers of fires in the city.

North Saskatoon Business Association board member Mike Lawton suggested the city use artificial intelligence for some processes.

Speaking on behalf of the Nutrien Wonderhub, Anne Neufeld said many young families are struggling to make ends meet and a small change to the city’s budget regarding its lease agreement could have a long-term impact on the children’s museum.

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“I want all kids to have that Wonderhub experience,” she said, asking council to reduce its base rent by 50 per cent to $82,450.

The city administration recommended keeping the original lease but allowing a phased-in approach to give the organization time to adjust its operational requirements.

Wonderhub CEO Leah Brodie said that isn’t achievable, telling council the organization was denied a provincial grant in 2020, causing ongoing funding issues.

Coun. Kathryn MacDonald proposed an amendment to have the administration to work with the Wonderhub to renew the agreement with full provision for the base rent requirements of $164,900, but the city would cover facility management costs under $5,000 and budget insurance costs, which passed.

TCU Place CEO Tammy Sweeney said the venue needs to rethink its model, noting it faces a $538,000 deficit in 2025, which is lower than the deficits seen in both 2024 and 2023. The deficit will be covered by reserves, and Sweeney said TCU Place is not looking for a budget increase at this time.

She said the current subsidy of $500,000 from the city does not allow the venue to be competitive in its market; venues in Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton receive millions of dollars from their municipalities, she said.

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“We’ve been in a deficit since 2020.”

SaskTel Centre CEO John Howden told council the facility expects $600,908 in net earnings in 2025.

A report from Remai Modern indicated it will break even on its budget. The gallery had 15 per cent more visitors in 2024 than 2023, which was a record-setting year.

Saskatoon Public Library CEO Carol Shepstone noted households in the city can save money by using library resources. The library is seeking a 2.82 per cent increase to its levy — less than the 3.55 per cent increase projected last year.

Proposed police budget increases can be summarized as $28,600 for minor adjustments and $1.6 million for the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Initiative (SCAN), police board chair Shirley Greyeyes told council.

The total proposed capital spending budget for police in 2025 is $5,431,000 — $2,523,000 more than the approved capital budget in 2024.

Greyeyes said the additional officers outlined in the operating budget would allow the city to get closer to the ratio of officers to population the city had in 2018.

The provincial government committed to funding 37 new officers, but the city is on the hook to cover the costs of equipping them. Greyeyes said having additional officers allows for a dedicated warrant enforcement team and more resources for things like patrols.

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Police Chief Cam McBride said the extra staff and resources in the police budget would allow officers to work in more neighbourhoods and pay attention to aspects of policing that may have been neglected with increased numbers of calls for service.

Several city councillors noted crime, safety and homelessness were among the top issues they heard about while door-knocking during the civic election.

The fire department asked for money to hire two fire bylaw inspectors — which was granted — adding that additional resources are needed to address shelter spaces like the Pacific Avenue temporary shelter and the Emergency Wellness Centre.

Assistant Fire Chief Yvonne Raymer said the fire department has a backlog of more than 1,600 property maintenance complaints.

More to come.

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