Sudbury city council asks citizens for 'help in getting to zero'

Sudburianspitched ideas worth millions oftax dollarsat the annual budget consultation Tuesday night at city hall.

But with a council focused on a tax freeze, it looks unlikely that many of them will be funded.

City councillor and budget chief MikeJakuboset a very different tone at the start of the meeting, which is normally a long and expensivewish listof things citizenswant from the city.

"Save us money on expenditures or generate more revenue for the city of GreaterSudbury,"Jakuborecommended at the start of the meeting.

But almost none of the presentations that followed were aimed at council's goal of freezing taxes.

Naomi Grant from the Coalition for aLiveableSudburysuggested a different kind of freeze.

She said that holding off on road projects for one year andshifting those dollars to help people better get around Greater Sudburyonfoot, on a bicycleor on a bus would save the city money in the long run.

"Look not just forefficiencies, but for areas where business as usual is quite costly to us," said Grant.

Lesley Flowers from the GreaterSudburyWatershed Alliance made the unusual move of calling on council toun-doits decision to freeze water rates.

Flowers is worried about cuts to infrastructure repairs.

"GreaterSudburybudget should reflect a meaningful commitment to protect and improve our natural infrastructure," she said.

But with city council focused on freezing taxes and city staff already saying it will be a challenge to slice the $13 million council has asked for from the city budget, many of these ideas seem like long shots.

However, Mayor Brian Bigger says nothing is being ruled out yet.

"I'm very confident that the council will take a very close look at theseopportunitiesand be prudent with the dollars, but also looking towards our objectives as a council," he said.

A report detailing the exact costof all the ideas pitched bySudburiansis expected back before city council next month. A final vote on the 2015 budget and the property tax increase for this year is scheduled for March 10.

Some of the highlights of presentations at Tuesday's budget consultation:

• Coalition for aLiveableSudburyasked the city to stop doing "business as usual" to save money, suggesting that it put a freeze on road projects for a one year to instead investigate investments to cycling, pedestrian and transit infrastructure.
• Junction Creek Stewardship Committee requested $30,000 in funding to continue its work restoring the urban waterway.
• For the second straight year, theSudburyCyclists Union requested a specific line in the city budget for cycling infrastructure. Last year,the group requested 1 per cent of the roads budget go to cyclingand pedestrian routes, about $338,000. This year the group is asking for 2 per cent or about $700,000.
• Friends ofSudburyTransit suggested that council make it easier to get around on the transit system with better maps, as well as improved Sunday service.
• The GreaterSudburyWatershed Alliance asked city council to reconsider itsrecent decision to freeze water ratesby cutting back on infrastructure repairs. The alliance also called for mandatory inspections and maintenance of private septic systems, while admitting it would be expensive for taxpayers.
• Rayside-BalfourYouth Centre asked for a $20,000 increase to its annual funding of $40,000.
• Pond Hockey Festival on the Rock asking for $5,000 to cover the costs of a shuttle bus to bring spectators to the games on Ramsey Lake, so it can give more of the festival proceeds to charity.
• The Canadian Mental Health Association asked for the use of the city-owned building at the corner of Larch and Paris Streets to house a harm reduction residence, the Corner Clinic and other agencies serving the homeless population.
• The Blue Saints Drum and Bugle Corps asked the city to donate a property or a surplus city building so the group can establish its own clubhouse.