SANDRA M STANWAY
Brooks Bulletin
County council on Thursday approved the 2025 interim budget with few changes from the meeting last month.
As a result of the last budget meeting administration has removed and added budget items.
Removed items include the splash park at Emerson Bridge Park and inclusions include the Patricia Rodeo grandstands, funding for four rail crossings, additional staffing including a deputy fire chief, a $2 per ride increase for the mini bus, a two percent cost of living adjustment for employees.
The assumption remains that the county will increase municipal property taxes by about 2.49 per cent and utility rates will increase by three per cent.
Either an engineered or dirt hill pump track at Emerson Park Bridge will be discussed next year for the 2026 budget.
“Currently, administration’s impression is it will be a dirt bike track of some kind but nothing in the budget for the 2025,” said county CAO Matt Fenske.
The majority of councillors approved an increase for the Division 5 and 10 recreation committee of $85,000.
It had been discussed during previous budget meetings to increase the amount to $100,000 to cover increases at Lake Newell Resort and Silver Sage.
Councillors Dan Short, Adena Skanderup and Amanda Philpott voted against the increase.
Short said he doesn’t agree with allowing the recreation committee to be simply approved for extra funds while Rolling Hills had to go through extra work that included an agreement.
“I’m not okay with that at all,” he said.
“We need to be treating all of our divisions equally.”
Councillor Lynette Kopp said while Rolling Hills has an ag board Divisions 5 and 10 do not so the rec board makes the decisions.
“If we want to try and get everybody being handled the same way we need to do some policy changing then with the way that board is,” she said.
The concern regarding Silver Sage is that the organization which receives municipal funding donated to other organizations.
“That was definitely an oversight,” said councillor Neil Johnson.
“They’re out trying to raise their profile because they’re going to be into pretty heavy fundraising to get the plans that they made.
Upgrades at Silver Sage are to be presented to the county and the Eastern Irrigation District as part of an agreement.
“That wasn’t intentional. It was just nobody even thought of it.”
Fenske suggested that the rec funds for Lake Newell Resort Community Association remain as they are until they can work on an agreement.
“They’re not in a position where they wanted to enter into that for 2025 but it is an ongoing conversation.
“Their preference was to leave it with the established rec board so that board would still meet, review the applications, award grant funding as the rec board saw fit,” he said.
Fenske said the approval of the interim budget will allow staff to begin drafting tender documents.
“We assume what is being approved in interim will be the final. We don’t roll back what’s been approved in interim,” he said.
The final budget will include the property tax revenue and any additional spending that council has approved between January 1st and the approval date of the final budget.
