Administration requesting five new staff positions; utility rate plan paying off; paid parking generated $1M in 2023
Jasper councillors recommended supporting most of the proposed 2024 municipal budget that town administrators presented to them on Tuesday and Wednesday (Nov 21 and 22).
The $36.4 million proposed budget is supported by a $11.5 million net tax requirement, a $1.3 million—or 13 per cent, on the surface—jump from last year (residential and commercial properties are taxed differently). Last year’s increase to the tax requisition was 4.45 per cent.
“Factors influencing the budget include over $1 million in non-discretionary items,” a November 23 press release from the Municipality of Jasper said.
The MOJ listed increased debt repayments to support infrastructure improvements and the recreation facility renovations; salary progressions; and increased energy costs as the main non-discretionary expenses.
Council will have to decide on an additional $325,000 worth of discretionary costs—mostly staffing and community group requests—before they pass the 2024 budget.
The proposed additions—which include 2.5 FTE positions in the Community Development department and two positions in Operations—would take the initially-proposed $1.3 million tax hike to $1.67 million. Without those additions, the proposed budget would mean an increase of $23 per month or less on most residential properties, CAO Bill Given said. He added the exact hit to the variety of property taxes in Jasper hasn’t been calculated with a potential $1.67 million increase.
“When we come to council [on December 5] we’ll have an update to that and we’ll attempt to break it down some more,” Given said.
At the December 5 meeting, Council may choose to further amend the budget or officially approve it.
Paid parking profitable
Paid Parking is estimated to have brought in $1 million in 2023 and administration has proposed the same for 2024. There was some discussion about how the revenue could be used. Councillor Rico Damota wanted to ensure the proposed staff positions weren’t being put forward because of the paid parking revenue.
“To use paid parking to fill in a lot of gaps in our departments to me wasn’t really the whole concept in going forward with that in my mind,” he said.
Administration explained their proposal is to divide the paid parking revenues mainly between the Jasper Arena/Fitness and Aquatic Centre renovations ($577K); Jasper Transit operations ($146.5K); paid parking operational expenses ($105K); reserves ($100K); and salaries and benefits in the town’s bylaw department ($55K).
E-powered transit to get big jolt; increased morning bus service
During the presentation for Jasper’s Legislative Services budget, it was revealed that public transit in Jasper could get a significant boost. The municipality was recently the recipient of a $5 million federal grant.
“The federal funds have been committed,” CAO Bill Given reported.
The funds will go to zero-emission public transit capital projects, CAO Given explained. The proposed budget shows line items for zero emissions buses, e-bikes and infrastructure. All told, the capital projects proposed have a total cost of $8 million. The services would likely roll out in 2026. Given told council that the grant money must be spent by December 31, 2025.
Ahead of any capital project discussions on transit, committee passed a motion to recommend to council to update its stalled Transportation Master Plan.
The TMP is budgeted at $170,000, but has been languishing as “unfunded” for several years. Actioning it will help direct the future of public transportation in Jasper, Mayor Richard Ireland hoped.
“Otherwise I fear we’ll bump along without a plan and end up somewhere we never intended to be,” he said.
Transit came up at the end of the two-day meeting as well. Given noted that fully 65 per cent of Jasper Transit is currently funded from external sources—before any ridership revenues.
“There’s no other transit system that has the benefit of being in that position,” Given said.
Councillors discussed service levels and responding to resident feedback. They agreed with administration’s intent to add two earlier morning town loops and one Jasper Park Lodge run, and to reduce under-utilized evening and weekend service hours.
New CCC utility rate model going c-c-c ka-ching
The proposed utilities budget, the rate model for which stung some ratepayers when it was first introduced, is showing that cost-recovery levies imposed last year are paying off.
Jasper’s “infrastructure deficit,” which was pointed out in a 2017 asset study, is being chipped away, said Director of Operations John Greathead.
Utilities are separate from the town’s budget. They are funded by a combination of user-fees, debt and reserves, rather than from property taxes.
Last year the Municipality of Jasper implemented a new rate model to help service its aging utility infrastructure (i.e. water and sewer pipes, wastewater treatment plant). The Connection, Consumption, Capital (CCC) model is addressing the infrastructure deficit in accordance with the capital investment plan that spurred the rate model change, Greathead said.
“I’m thrilled that we’re at a break even. That was a big goal of mine, to make sure we weren’t supplementing our utilities with our tax dollars,” Greathead said.
Waste not want not
Recycling in Jasper is going to be further streamlined in 2024.
Alberta is moving toward an Extended Producer Responsibility framework, putting the onus of collecting, sorting, processing and recycling of products and packaging on producers, and away from local governments and taxpayers.
But the EPR program only covers residential materials, Greathead explained. In Jasper, Ops will have to further separate the town’s recycling streams so materials generated by industrial, commercial and institutional producers don’t get mixed in with residential.
The financial rub, at this point, is a $30,000 enclosed trailer in the Operations Department’s capital budget.
Turtle power
The town’s infamous holiday snowflake decorations—apparently referred to as the “brown turtles” by operations department staff—aren’t scheduled for an upgrade in 2024, Greathead reported. Councillor Wendy Hall asked about the holiday lights after hearing from residents whose Christmas wish would be to send them to the North Pole.
“I’ve heard about [holiday lights] a lot in the last few weeks,” Hall said.
While the Turtles won’t be replaced yet (the $60,000 line item is unfunded), a partnership with Tourism Jasper will brighten the local streetscape, Given reported. It’s not a financial commitment, but an arrangement with a contractor will bring new lights to the downtown. The municipality will provide the power.
“We will see additional holiday lights throughout Connaught because of that partnership,” Given said.
Fading memories
Examination of the Operations Department’s capital budget revealed that the Memorial Bench Program is an ongoing liability; the wooden benches deteriorate in the weather and the result is a $15,000 maintenance hit each year.
Given suggested the program has good intentions, but is unsustainable.
“People make a contribution, it represents something important, [they] want to see it maintained in perpetuity,” he said.
But year over year, Jasper’s sun, snow and rain make meeting those expectations increasingly difficult. Council will examine the issue more thoroughly in the new year. Meanwhile, the $15,000 allocation will remain in 2024.
A grave problem
Jasper’s cemetery is running out of room.
An expansion of the Jasper Cemetery has been on the books for years, but the situation is becoming more…grave. Administration fields many calls each year from residents looking to commemorate their loved ones, but “there are only a small handful of available plots,” according to Given.
Last year Greathead’s budget included “Columbarium and Cemetery Improvements” but the project didn’t get off the ground. The $180,000 line item, funded by a provincial Municipal Sustainability Initiative, is proposed to carry forward to 2024.
Coun. Helen Kelleher-Empey agreed with administration that the project has high priority.
“I don’t think we should not continue with the cemetery—that is very important to our community,” she said.
External drives
Over the two days of budget talks, councillors considered 13 funding requests from external organizations. Administration was directed to incorporate the funding into the draft budget for the following organizations:
- Community Futures West Yellowhead $10,000
- Jasper Municipal Library $207, 957
- Robson House Historical Society $5,000
- Habitat for the Arts $41,000
- Alpine Summit Seniors Lodge $5,000
- Jasper Artists Guild $19,200
- Jasper Historical Society $55,000
- Jasper Heritage Folk & Blues Society $2,000 cash funding and up to $3,000 in-kind
- UpLift! Mural Festival $25,000
- Crisis Team Jasper Society $12,500
More (less formal) coverage on the Municipality of Jasper’s budget discussions can be viewed on The Jasper Local’s Twitter (X) platform.
Residents wishing to provide input on the 2024 budget may do so by:
• Filling out a feedback form on the Municipality of Jasper’s website
• Emailing info@jasper-alberta.ca
• Delivering a letter to the Municipal Administration Office, 303 Pyramid Lake Road
• Mailing a letter to: P.O. Box 520, Jasper, Alberta, T0E 1E0
• Joining the meeting in-person at the Quorum Room on December 5 in the basement of the Library & Cultural Centre
Recordings of the meetings are available at the Municipality of Jasper’s YouTube channel.
The 2024 proposed budget document can be found on the Municipality of Jasper’s website.
Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com
