Brandon City Council received their second overview of the proposed 2024 capital plan Thursday, with City administration maintaining a needs-based focus to balance long-term sustainability with affordability for Brandon residents.
Thursday’s pre-budget session was an overview of the Airport, Solid Waste, Facilities, Parks & Recreation, and Fleet major capital projects required to keep people safe, deliver services people rely on, and maintain Brandon’s quality of life.
The Brandon airport’s proposed capital budget for 2024 is $11.8 million, while the airport’s most significant project will be the Airside Pavement Rehabilitation project, which is mostly funded through the federal government’s Airport Capital Assistance Program (ACAP). Other projects are funded by the Airport Improvement Fee.
The largest City building project is necessary modernizations at the A.R. McDiarmid Civic Complex for the RCMP Operational Communications Centre, expected to cost $3.53 million. Funding for this project will be fully recovered through a lease contract with the RCMP.
The most significant project for Solid Waste is the construction of new cells, which are developed every three years. The lifespan of each cell at the Eastview Landfill is approximately 3.5 years.
The Parks and Recreation proposed capital budget focuses on projects already underway or needed to maintain the quality-of-life Brandon offers, including investing in the Outdoor Sports Field Complex and replacing the decommissioned ice plant, boards and other urgently required upgrades to the Sportsplex.
City administration has prioritized the capital plan into categories — essential, primary, and secondary amenities. On Thursday, Council members asked city staff about the status of secondary projects, and city administration explained they are included “below the line” in the budget, as they are yet to have a funding source. On budget deliberations day, Council will have the opportunity to remove projects, move them to a different year or move them “above the line” by applying a funding source such as borrowing. Examples include the Cultural Hub and future phases of Brandon’s Community Sportsplex.
Adequately funding transit, equipment, and the rest of the fleet is a large part of the proposed capital budget in 2024 and the coming years to maintain services. The City’s draft capital budget also includes several updates that other levels of government have committed to provide funding for, like a cost-shared emergency generator replacement, water treatment facility, and the Maple Leaf Foods Sports Complex.
The next pre-budget session will be held on Wednesday, January 24, 2024 at 6 p.m. with a focus on personnel resources and community grant requests. At pre-budget sessions, city council members are tasked with asking tough questions of the City’s administration to inform amendments on budget deliberation day.
Brandon City Council will deliberate on the 2024 proposed budget as prepared by City administration on Friday, February 2, 2024, and Saturday, February 3.
All proposed budget documents can be viewed on the City of Brandon website at City of Brandon – Proposed 2024 Budget
City Council welcomes comments or feedback on the proposed 2024 budget, which can be emailed to budget@brandon.ca.
