Yellowknife council says yes to firefighters, no to downtown revitalization in 2017 budget

Yellowknife's city budget will be presented to the public Monday evening, but the week of deliberations that preceded weren't without drama — and a few high-profile cuts.

Chief among them was a $1.9 million project aimed to revitalize the city's downtown lot at 50th Street and 50th Avenue. Numerous options have been proposed for the lot — now used for parking — in past years, including a public library.

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Council ultimately spiked the project from the budget after admitting that the city didn't have a clear plan on how to proceed with the lot's development, later adding a $75,000 downtown multi-use building study.

"We're not ready yet to invest the $1.9 [million]," said Coun. Rebecca Alty during deliberations. "We need to determine how we're proceeding."

Other councillors, including Linda Bussey, emphasized that the city should prioritize solving social issues in the downtown before looking at how to develop the lot.

"I think that after we've created a better downtown, we can put energy into developing the corner," she said.

Other items struck from the draft budget included:

• $75,000 for a strategic review;
• Halving money for an expansion of Lakeview Cemetary to $105,000 from $210,000.
• $43,000 for replacement rental equipment;
• $110,000 for solar panels on city buildings; and
• $27,300 for updates to the City's website and applications.

Council also pushed a decision on a $500,000 traffic light installation at 50th Street and 44th Avenue — near a new development on Twin Pine Hill — to 2018.

New firefighters given green light

During the three evenings in which deliberations took place, a contingent of Yellowknife's firefighters sat in council chambers, serving as a visual reminder to council of the dire state of staffing at the city's fire department. Two new emergency dispatcher positions were added to the draft budget, but no new firefighter positions.

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During deliberations, Coun. Shauna Morgan proposed four new firefighter positions be added to the department, beginning in July, at a total cost of about $220,000 for the year.

"I think the evidence is clear that we are understaffed at the fire and ambulance division," Morgan said, before pointing out that the city spent over $250,000 in overtime in the fire division in 2015. "I think we could actually save some money in overtime."

Councillors were universally behind the idea, with Coun. Julian Morse calling the new positions a "must have," and Bussey saying "it's a decision that we just have to make."

Morgan's motion passed unanimously, leading to a cheer going up from the firefighters in attendance.

Council also voted to spend $265,000 on improvements to a parking lot on School Draw Avenue near the entrance to Yellowknife's Old Town, though not without debate. 

A second, minimalist proposal to level the parking lot, cover it with gravel and provide signage at a cost of $30,000 was touted by Morgan, Morse, and Niels Konge, all of whom said a minimalist design would better fit Old Town's aesthetic, rather than a fully landscaped, asphalt parking lot.

"The charm of Old Town, is that it's Old Town," Konge said. "And I think we should make this true to Old Town.

"I think if we do the 'Cadillac' version [the more expensive proposal], we have ruined the gateway to Old Town, and we're not being true to that neighbourhood."

Adrien Bell spoke in favour of the more expensive option, saying that the city can't "cheap out" when requiring developers to put in asphalt parking lots, as well as after eliminating angle parking in sections of Old Town during construction this summer.

"I think we have a chance to solve that problem," he said. "A problem that is partly of our own making."

Fieldhouse climbing wall approved, council takes aim at social issues downtown

Council also approved $160,000 in the budget to construct a climbing wall at the city's Fieldhouse — a project requested by the Yellowknife Climbing Club . The approved amount was reduced from $212,000 after councillors agreed that the club could find alternative sources of revenue to cover the difference. 

A slew of expenses associated with combatting social issues in Yellowknife's downtown also made the final cut, including $100,000 to a new street outreach services program, $300,000 for downtown community safety officers, and a $50,000 homeless employment program pilot project. 

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It's unclear how much the final budget will ultimately cost residents. The original draft budget proposed a 2.55 per cent tax increase, but city officials were unable to confirm Friday how council's deliberations affected the proposed amount.

Councillors will present the 2017 budget to the public on Monday evening.