City Administration is presenting Thunder Bay City Council with almost $2.7-million worth of potential budget cuts to decide on.
The list of 46 items was unveiled this afternoon, which Council asked for earlier in the budget process. If all of the cuts are approved, it will shave 1% off the tax levy increase, bringing it from 2.27% to 1.27%.
Among the decisions Council will have to make tomorrow night is whether to close the Centennial Botanical Conservatory to save an estimated $133,000.
Also up for consideration is snow plowing for residential roads and sidewalks on weekends, which would cut $290,000.
The list is divided into lower, medium, and high-impact cuts.
Some of the “lower-impact” items include re-organizing of the city’s legal services to save $190,000.
In the medium category, administration suggests saving $100,000 by not replacing one corporate management position after that employee retires.
The city could also close 21 hectares of parklands to save $59,000, and recover$182,000 by closing the Eye on the Street surveillance camera program.
Also on the chopping block is downtown sidewalk cleaning, at a savings of $162,500.
Council could reduce the budget by $52,000 if they stop operating the Chippewa Park amusement rides, and another $4,800 by shutting down the Muskeg Express and making it a static display.
Thunder Bay’s libraries are not included in the list of cuts going before City Council Wednesday night.
You can find the list of cuts at this link to Wednesday’s City Council agenda.
