CANMORE – Government stimulus spending anticipated as a result of the COVID-19 economic crisis has local government officials in Canmore preparing plans for "shovel-ready" projects.
As the Town of Canmore looks to the 2020 capital budget for possible changes, Chief Administrative Officer Lisa de Soto said that administration is also preparing possible capital projects for economic stimulus grant funding that may become available for municipalities.
"We are preparing a list of shovel-ready projects that we can move forward with as soon as the government announces any funding," de Soto said during a virtual town hall Wednesday (April 29).
One of the provincial grant funds that could see an increase is the Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI). Mayor John Borrowman said municipalities depend on the province for grant funding and the MSI could be an easily accessible option to funnel stimulus money to communities.
"There has been a suggestion that the province double the annual contribution to municipalities [through the MSI] and that would be really helpful," he said.
The MSI program is set to expire at the end of 2021, while municipalities across Alberta have been lobbying for a new and improved funding program to replace it for several years.
After being elected in spring 2019, however, the UCP government indicated it would be moving toward a single local government fiscal framework and reducing the per capita funding for municipalities to be in line with other provinces.
Meanwhile, the Canadian Rockies Public School division recently submitted a $2.5 million list of facility maintenance projects within the division for funding consideration to Alberta Education.
Director of technology, learning and facilities Steve Greene told the board Wednesday (April 29) that earlier this year the division worked with consultants Johnson Controls to look at the next four-year planning cycle for facility maintenance.
So when the province recently asked school boards for lists of maintenance projects for funding consideration, Greene said some of that work had already been done.
"The province announced a four-day window [to submit projects] and we were able to re-connect with Johnsons Control and put a plan together rather quickly and put a proposal into the province," he said.
While classes have been cancelled at local schools, Greene told the board the division has been working on its annual maintenance plan.
"We are doing work in our buildings across the district we normally would not be doing right now," he said.
"From a building and maintenance perspective, we are really trying to, I guess in one sense, take advantage of the opportunity presented to us and keep our schools in the best shape possible moving forward."
That includes replacing the decking at Canmore Collegiate High School and roofing work at Banff Community High School, for example.
Like many Canadian municipalities, the Town of Canmore is re-examining its 2020 operating budget in addition to its capital plan in light of the current pandemic. The Town has laid off staff and placed a freeze on new or rehiring for vacant positions – affecting 140 casual, full and part-time positions across the organization.
Administration will return to council in May or early June with options to amend the operating budget and keep the overall municipal property tax at 2019's rates.
Borrowman said everything will be on the table for consideration. He also committed to reducing his own salary if wage reductions were approved by council.
"When that comes back to council for consideration, I have committed to reducing the mayor's salary by the same extent that would be applied to working staff," he said, adding changes to salaries for councillors would be up for discussion as well.
"It would be up to individual councillors to weigh in on that."
Many of the layoffs came from the municipality shutting down non-essential services and facilities, like Elevation Place, the Canmore Rec Centre and the Senior's Centre.
But while they are shut to the public, de Soto said staff are undertaking annual maintenance projects.
"One of the things we have done is advance our maintenance activities at Elevation Place and the Canmore Rec Centre," she said.
"Where normally we would drain the pool in September, or take out the [arena] ice in the summer, we are doing that now in expectation of reopening.
As for changes to the capital budget, de Soto said administration is applying a lense that considers variables like whether or not there is grant funding tied to the project that could be lost if the project does not proceed, whether funds have already been spent and if there is a strong justification to proceed.
"Construction also puts Canmore residents to work and keeps them gainfully employed," she said.
One capital project that will not proceed this year is the commercial organic waste diversion pilot program. According to a staff report, the pilot is on hold due to constraints on local restaurants.
