The City of Regina has outlined its plan to axe nearly $3 million from the municipal budget.
In December, council approved the 2023 budget with a 3.67 per cent mill rate, down from the proposed 4.67 per cent increase. The one per cent decrease resulted in an approximate $2.9 million reduction in operating expenditures.
City administration was tasked with identifying savings “without negatively impacting service.”
According to the report, there are five areas the city will draw on for savings.
“Because it takes time to actualize savings, not just identify them, we put a plan in as quickly as possible,” said city manager Niki Anderson.
A 25 per cent reduction in the travel and training budget is expected to save the city $500,000. Mandatory training requirements will not be compromised, according to Anderson.
The consulting budget will be cut by roughly 20 per cent for an approximate savings of $425,000.
“We can both work at strengthening the ability to grow and support staff while putting into place better oversight into how we’re doing that,” Anderson said.
The biggest savings are expected to come from operational efficiencies, including civic fleet maintenance and “fleet ratcheting,” which will reduce the number of fleet assets, according to the report. The city expects to reduce spending in this area by $784,000.
Anderson said other operational efficiencies will come with a decrease in cleaning of non-customer facing buildings, a review of park operations, a reduction in general supplies, and less frequent oil changes in fleet vehicles.
The city also expects to find $622,000 in salary and benefit savings through vacancy management. Another $600,000 will come from leveraging alternative funding sources, the report said.
The total savings will come to $2,931,000.
“We don’t have a plan for every single dollar,” Anderson said.
“It’s always hard frankly trying to decrease the resources you thought you would have. I would also say sometimes there’s different ways to use the resources so you can get more out of them.”
Additionally, city administration found savings for two one-time unbudgeted expenses in 2023.
The city will use savings from bi-weekly waste collection this September to cover the costs associated with operating the warming bus and the emergency shelter.
Regina mayor Sandra Masters said administrative leadership is consulting with management and frontline workers in various city departments to find efficiencies.
She said the search for efficiencies will be ongoing.
“We want to celebrate finding $20,000 in savings as much as we want to celebrate finding $200,000 in savings,” Masters said.
“We’re really changing the habit, creating a habit of continually looking for ways to collaborate better for potential cost savings [and] ways to look at innovative solutions.”
City administration will provide council with quarterly updates on the cost-saving measures associated with the 2023 budget.
