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Budget time has arrived for Regina City Council members, who say they’ll be looking for ways to cut a forecast tax hike without closing facilities or chopping services.
At the request of members of council, the administration prepared a report that included a list of cuts to bring down a forecast tax increase of 15.69 per cent.
Read more:
- Wide range of voices to be heard as Regina City Council talks budget
- Regina residents could be subject to higher property taxes: City
- What you need to know about the 2026-27 Regina city budget
Listen to Mayor Chad Bachynski on The Evan Bray Show:
But during an appearance on The Evan Bray Show, Mayor Chad Bachynski said an effort to be more transparent may have inadvertently increased anxiety among Regina residents.
“It’s a double-edged sword,” he said. “Transparency is good; I think we need to demonstrate the reality of what the math is. But it also caused some unintended stress which was not my intention at all.”
Many of the 76 delegations who have requested to speak on the main portion of the budget will be either raising concerns about potential cuts from the list, or highlighting their preferred options from the list.
Bachynski reiterated he is not in favour of items like closing the Regina Floral Conservatory — but he also understands worries about such a large tax increase, and that’s the balance council has to find.
“Not gutting the services that people expect, but also finding a way to something that’s a little more tenable for people given the uncertain economic times.”
Ward 10 councillor Clark Bezo suggests user fees could be a way to reduce the burden on property owners.
“I’ve talked to a lot of people in the conservatory and said, what happens if you charge three bucks?” Bezo told The Greg Morgan Morning Show. “Can you do it? The answer was yes.
“What happens if we charge an extra dollar to go on a bus over the next few years, 25 cents this year, 25 cents next year, 25 cents the year after, another 25 cents the year after that? That 25 cents goes from a heavily subsidized model to actually being fairly affordable.”
Bezo agreed such fees wouldn’t be enough to find the needed $51 million in savings to eliminate the tax hike.
He said investing in software that allows the administration to operate more efficiently is another option, though it wouldn’t necessarily mean layoffs. He explained positions could remain unfilled following retirements.
Requested police increase as small as possible
Chief Lorilee Davies of the Regina Police Service said the service has kept its budget request as small as possible. RPS is asking for an increase equal to a 2.2 per cent tax hike.
“Our budget isn’t full of a bunch of nice-to-have things. It’s literally a keeping-the-lights-on budget,” she said in an interview.
“Software licences, and increases for fuel and that type of thing aren’t what most people think about when they think of policing costs,” she said.
Davies explained adding front-line officers isn’t something that can happen in one year, so RPS is able to spread out that sort of cost as well as the ongoing construction at the RPS headquarters.
CUPE says city’s future at risk
The budget prompted a news release from Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) locals 7 and 21 on Friday.
The unions represent nearly 2,000 inside and outside workers at the City of Regina.
In the release, CUPE says the proposed budget cuts put the city’s future at risk.
“Public services are the backbone of our city,” said Kent Peterson, president of CUPE Saskatchewan in the release. “They keep Regina safe, secure, and functional. Cutting jobs means cutting services — and that impacts quality of life for everyone.”
“Closing pools, arenas and arts centres, cutting transit and school buses, and ending affordable housing incentives will make life harder and more expensive for Regina families,” said Tyler Hutchinson, president of CUPE 21.
David Kelly, president of CUPE 7, said the cuts don’t just affect programs they also affect people.
“When positions are eliminated and training is reduced, services slow down, and residents pay the price,” he said in the release.
CUPE has made a written submission to be presented at the council meeting.
— with files from CJME News
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