Province Increases Revenue Sharing For Towns and Cities

The Saskatchewan government says they will be doling out more money to the province's cities and towns next year.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe made the announcement Monday that municipal revenue sharing will grow by 4% ($10 million) for the 2019-20 fiscal year, bring the budgeted amount to $251 million.

"Through negotiations with our partner organizations SUMA and SARM, we wanted to come up with a formula that was sustainable into the future," Moe told those in attendance at SUMA's annual meeting in Saskatoon. "It was also very easy to formulate where they (cities and towns) would get to in the years ahead."

The new municipal revenue sharing formula is based on three-quarters of one point of the provincial sales tax (PST) revenue collected from the fiscal year two years prior to the current year.

Towns and cities will be able to use the funds provided by the provincial government towards anything.

"I suspect as we move forward with our partnership with our federal government and ultimately municipalities in our infrastructure agreement, that much of it may be brought in to help municipalities fund needed infrastructure in their communities," he said. "Water plants, sewer plants, other infrastructure that is necessary."

Opposition leader Ryan Meili, however, says he's not so sure about the increase, pointing out its above last years total, but significantly lower than 2013.

According to past graphs on the government of Saskatchewan's website, Moose Jaw will receive just under $6 million in municipal revenue sharing next fiscal year.