View City Manager's Full Report (3MB)
Highlights of the 2011 service initiatives include:
- Increased funding ($10,000) for neighbourhood development for satellite community centres
- Asphalt for road maintenance increased by $480,000 - second year of three year plan
- Sidewalk maintenance will focus on installation of accessible ramps at crosswalks
- Curb renewal budget increased by $100,000 to support the enhanced paving program
- Establishes the Intergovernmental Affairs position to advance the City’s legislative, policy and financial interests
- Provides for enhanced number of Ward meetings to be held in each ward
- Value for Money Fleet Review to determine optimal size of municipal fleet
- An updated Purchasing Policy to ensure best value for expenditures
- Implementation of comprehensive organizational reforms to improve effectiveness
- Funding provided to complete PlanSJ ($135,000) process for 2012 adoption
- Implement revised suite of development incentives to complement land use planning goals
- Finalize Customer Service process Review and implement improvements
Excepts from the City Manager's Report:
The Community Vision Statement also speaks of the future of Saint John as a City responsive to change, a livable City designed for people, a City with diverse cultural opportunities and life-long learning opportunities, a City with an array of affordable housing choices, one with a shared commitment to environmental stewardship, a community that serves the mobility needs of all people and a City that fosters civic engagement and fiscally responsible government. These are not merely lofty ideals but goals that will help establish Saint John as the choice place to live, work and invest. Simply put building for the future is not just about infrastructure, it is also about balance and creating a vibrant livable community.
The City continues to make progress in each of these areas with the re-development of the Canada Games Stadium, the planned renewal of the Crescent Valley neighbourhood, major investments in improvements to Rockwood Park, private sector investments in the commercial and residential sectors, success in securing the 2010 Acadian Games and the Cultural Capital designation, continued commitments to ward meetings and
citizen surveys, adoption of a plan to reform the City
pension plan, success in implementing over $20M in infrastructure stimulus projects, new investments at UNBSJ and the Community College and completing a major step forward in the
PlanSJ process.
Common Council has been clear in its direction to staff that the 2011 tax rate remain at the current $1.785 per $100 of assessment. This decision effectively establishes the revenues available to provide services at $138,523,059 for 2011.
The 2011 General Fund Operating Budget is set at $138,523,059 with a stable tax rate of $1.785 per $100 of assessment. Program expenditures in 2011 will focus on the
Council identified priorities, the feedback received in the
Citizen Survey and the issues raised in the various ward and neighbourhood meetings.
Spending caps in the protective services area and
public transit service and the desire to maintain a stable tax rate have led to the need to look for new revenue sources particularly for services provided to third parties (911 Dispatch, HazMat Response, GIS Mapping, Training etc.).
Administrative service costs have been reduced by $261,000 by making reductions in the submitted budgets of the
City Manager,
Common Clerk,
Information Technology,
Finance Department, Mayor’s office,
Human Resources and
Facilities Management.
The current Council has in turn established a series of service priorities for the community that fall into various
program areas. Some are the sole responsibility of the City (recreation) while others are dependent on cooperation from the other levels of government (pension funding). These priorities are intended to respond to community concerns and contribute directly to the achievement of our long-term vision and goals.