Regina’s executive committee heard from City Administration about how they are going to shave $2.9 million off of the 2023 budget.

Administration presented a report, which was approved by the committee 8-3, on how the City will cut almost three million dollars to achieve the mill rate increase of 3.67 per cent.

In the report, the savings will follow the criteria of not negatively impacting service delivery, they are ongoing in nature, and the reductions will not negatively impact future years’ budgets.

The administration found five different areas they could find saving, including:

• 25 per cent reduction in travel and training budgets ($500,000)
• 20 per cent reduction on the consulting budget ($425,000),
• Operational efficiencies such as civic fleet maintenance and fleet ratcheting – reduce the number of fleet assets ($784,00)
• Salary and benefit savings through vacancy management ($622,000)
• Leveraging alternative funding sources ($600,000).

In addition to implementing the above measures to reduce the 2023 Budget by $2.9 million, Administration also identified additional savings for unbudgeted expenses in 2023.

Those unbudged expenses are $125,000 related to operating the warming bus and $500,000 related to the emergency shelter.

Administration said that they would be funding those items through one-time savings from implementing bi-weekly solid waste collection in September 2023.

The report will now be voted on for a final time at city council on February 22.