Moose Jaw residents will see at least a one per cent mill rate increase for parks and recreation capital projects. 

The parks and recreation department asked for $295,000 for several projects that were pushed because of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. 

Director of parks and recreation Derek Blais said the city’s recreation facilities have been traditionally underfunded. 

“If we take that there are S155 million we have in assets and equate that. That's $2.3 million a year that should be going into renewal. We look at how much we have traditionally funded and what we're funding in 2021. That's about $1.2 million. So, half of what the typically recommended guidelines ask for,” he said. 

The $155 million in assets does not include Mosaic Place as it doesn’t land under the Department of Parks and Recreation’s capital budget. 

The funds include $35,000 to upgrade roof drainage at the city complex, $10,000 to replace the flooring at the library, $6,000 to continue replacing plastic garbage bins in Crescent Park, $154,000 to implement the Playground Renewal Program, $10,000 for hazardous material assessment at the Hillcrest Sports Centre, $40,000 to fix damaged pathways and $40,000 for an additional dressing room at the Wally Boshuck Arena. 

Coun. Doug Blanc said there is never a good time to do facilities repairs, but not doing them could cost the city in the future. 

“I know it's a tough time to maybe do repairs to a roof or to a floor or something like that, but at the same time, if we don't keep the maintenance up in some of our facilities, we're going to end up with a huge bill at some point to fix it.” 

Coun. Dawn Luhning had asked Blais during budget deliberations on Wednesday if he could prioritize the projects with the possibility of putting some on hold to reduce the mill rate increase. Blais replied that the Playground Renewal Program, the hazardous material assessment at Hillcrest Sports Centre, the pathway upgrades and the roof drainage at the city complex were the top priorities.  

Coun. Kim Robinson was in favour of moving forward with the spending, pointing out that the funds were be going back into the community. 

“I believe it's important that we keep the mill rate down and keep a few dollars in our residents' pockets. With projects like this, we’ve got to remember that these are all going to be upgrade and replacement projects that are going to employ people in our community.” 

The one per cent mill rate increase was passed 5-2 with councillors Luhning and Jamey Logan opposed. 

Budget deliberations continue on Monday at 3 p.m. at City Hall.