Budget talks get back underway in Moose Jaw tonight and Councillor Crystal Froese has a different view point this year.

This is her second budget since being elected in 2016, giving her more insight and experience over last year. One of the biggest factors was trying to work on a budget just a month after being elected. This time, they have a better idea of what to expect.

"This whole year is actually seeing the budget in process and what it actually means. It's a number on a page, but how does that actually relate to the services that our citizens are getting? Coming into this budget I have a greater understanding of my decision making process, and how that's going to affect those things that affect the citizens of Moose Jaw."

With budget talks continuing Monday night, she says 2018 will see the execution of projects that started last year.

"The modernization of our City Hall is absolutely essential. The record process, or lack of record keeping that has happened there has really slowed the City staff down. When we ask for a report on something they have to go down to the basement and start rifling through files after files after files."

The move to curbside was approved last spring, then torn down and cobbled back together over the summer, before finally being shelved. It's back up for discussion as part of this new budget that includes $10,000 for a telephone survey.

"Had we gone ahead and supported our administration in the beginning we'd be well past this point I think. The areas that were ruled out were the more difficult areas in the city, and the reporting that's coming back to us is saying these are relatively successful. Curbside is not a new concept."

Froese says no matter what they do to try and keep taxes down, they learned the hard way in 2017 that the provincial budget can play a huge role in what happens in Moose Jaw, so she hasn't set a target when it comes to a potential mill rate increase.