Regina city administration says it saved over $14.4 million in 2024 budget proposal

Regina city administration says they saved over $14.4 million in their budget proposal through eliminating costs and adding revenue.

According to Friday’s proposed budget, the average Regina household will have expenses rise at least $20 next year, but without the cost saving measures, the city says it could have been worse.

“Administration worked very hard to keep the mill rate increase in line with what we had released and proposed last year,” said Barry Lacey, executive director of financial sustainability for the City of Regina.

An efficiency review in 2021 discovered nearly $9 million in savings within the areas of parks, procurement, fleet, facilities, roadways, and technology.

The city also saved nearly $3 million in other areas, from office supply purchases, to investments in new security technology, to replacing an aging, more expensive system, and moving waste pickup to bi-weekly.

A budget reduction exercise added another $2.6 million in savings.

• Get the CTV News app for Regina breaking news alerts and top stories 

“Maybe in an effort to invest in infrastructure and to provide roads, garbage, water, wastewater and the type of things that are our base services, maybe there just are some other things we shouldn’t be doing,” said Mayor Sandra Masters.

In September, Lacey told council the city has over $18 million in deferred maintenance costs on various assets. While it saves money, Lacey said that comes at a risk.

“We need to look forward to our future budgets and future planning about how we’re going to fill that gap,” he said.

Administrations’ proposed budget still needs council approval. Full deliberations will happen Dec. 13.