Regina council amends budget, avoiding staff layoffs

Regina city council members changed a previous decision to fire staff during budget discussions. The amendment was made on Thursday after some councillors expressed concerns about the impact on city workers. On Wednesday, council had voted to reduce staffing levels to save $1.5 million. This was aimed at lowering a planned mill rate increase by 0.5 percent. The cuts would have affected 34 external consultants and some management positions. Coun. Froh, who had a conflict of interest, did not vote. Others, including Couns. Flores, Zachidniak, and Mayor Bachynski, opposed the motion. After some discussion on Thursday, councillors decided not to reduce staff. Instead, they amended the earlier decision. The city manager was asked to find savings of at least $1.55 million without focusing solely on cutting jobs. The plan will be presented to the executive committee by April 30. The budget talks highlighted differing opinions among councillors on how to save money. Some councillors, like Bezo and Rashovich, even offered to take pay cuts to help the city's financial situation. They emphasized the importance of leading by example, especially about affordability and spending cuts. Much of the council's budget focus has been on finding ways to reduce a proposed 8.5 percent mill rate increase. This would be the largest rise in over a decade. The city manager mentioned that the increase is necessary to maintain services and support city growth. In other decisions, council approved the addition of two full-time employees to handle a long-standing audit backlog, which will slightly increase the mill rate. Additionally, a proposal to cut funding for the city's equity diversity and inclusion staff was rejected. The council also finalized a $108-million operating budget for the Regina Police Service.