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Budget 2011: Smile! You’re on photo radar

Unsuspecting speeders will generate thousands of additional dollars for the City of Red Deer after council supported a second photo radar vehicle on Thursday.

Unsuspecting speeders will generate thousands of additional dollars for the City of Red Deer after council supported a second photo radar vehicle on Thursday.

Municipal leaders endorsed the vehicle during the second day of the 2011 operational budget debate. The leased vehicle, photo radar equipment and operator salaries are expected cost the city $300,000, plus further internal costs of $10,000.

With traffic fine revenues estimated at $910,000 for 2011, the city could reap $600,000 if everyone paid their tickets.

Councillor Dianne Wyntjes said she sees merit in adding another photo radar vehicle because of increased traffic volumes.

“Photo radar isn’t popular with everyone, but it’s a reminder that when we get those tickets, we’re not obeying the law,” said Wyntjes. “While those monies could go to something better, when we lose a life, I don’t think you can put a price on that.”

Councillor Chris Stephan was the only one to vote against vehicle because he wondered what the community’s position was and whether they had ever been surveyed on this.

“Without that information, I have a hard time increasing photo radar — with the possibility that the majority of our residents are opposed,” he said. “It should have been done before the first photo radar van as well.”

Council also approved a $300,000 shortfall in traffic fine collection for 2011 because people aren’t paying up.

Administration had brought forward a $264-million budget with a proposed average tax increase of 3.74 per cent.

By the end of Thursday, council added a $100,000 expense which pushed the tax increase up slightly to 3.77 per cent. The extra cost will allow for the recently renovated G.H. Dawe Community Centre to open child minding space as well as have more programming inside the gymnasium.

Councillor Lynne Mulder supported the extra dryland programming because it will keep youth on the north side entertained.

“We have child minding at the Collicutt Centre, so we should have it at the Dawe,” she said.

Council also voted to support water and wastewater fee increases. Stephan opposed, saying the water rates are slated to rise 12 per cent for each of the next five years, and wastewater rates will increase nine per cent annually in that same period. He also disagrees with the rate increases being used to cover some of the water and wastewater treatment upgrades. Those costs should be covered on the budget’s capital side, not operational, he said.

Councillor Cindy Jefferies noted that Red Deer’s water rates are quite low compared with a number of other communities.

Councillors discussed whether to eliminate the toilet rebate program which is costing the city $60,000 a year. Councillor Paul Harris said it reminds people that this is a good way to conserve water and it was his hope that “older homes that use so much water would take the plunge.”

Councillor Tara Veer said she wants people to conserve water too but she added that council had to be wary of the overall property tax increase.

Council knocked down the toilet rebate program to $30,000, meaning that residents who change an old toilets into a low flush one will only get $50 back instead of $100.

Council heavily debated whether to eliminate the two $5 landfill coupons given to each household annually. Wyntjes said she was concerned that some people might be inclined to dump outside the city.

Councillor Frank Wong said the coupons have been an incentive for people and with landfill tipping fees going up, this is further reason why this should be kept. Stephan suggested keeping the coupons as well, particularly when an informal survey of residents showed they wanted it kept. The loss of these coupons will hurt the average user who might only go two or three times to a landfill in a year, he said.

With the exception of Wong and Stephan, council voted in favour of eliminating the coupons and saving the city $60,000.

Administration had suggested raising the minimum dumping fee at the landfill from $5 to $10, which would save the city another $75,000. Development Services director Paul Goranson said the fee hadn’t been raised in about 20 years.

But there was some concern doubling the fee, plus losing the coupons, would result in a “double whammy” for residents. Wyntjes suggested raising the amount to $7 from $5, saving the city about $30,000. That motion was approved by Wyntjes, Mayor Morris Flewwelling, Tara Veer, Mulder and Buchanan. Councillors Stephan, Harris and Jefferies were opposed.

Harris had suggested eliminating the minimum fee altogether and instead increasing the tonnage fee by a further $2. Tipping fees are set to increase to $61 per tonne from $56.

“We should be charging the heaviest load with the most and those with the lightest load with the least,” he said.

ltester@www.reddeeradvocate.com