The City of Yellowknife plans to spend $143.3 million in areas such as community services, public safety and capital projects, according to the draft 2024 budget.
It’s the capital projects, though, that are a bit light on details.
The list of eligible projects for this year has been contained to just three pages within the 2024 budget document. A total of $25.4 million is projected for a slew of projects around the city, but there isn’t much detail on what taxpayers will be getting for their money.
By contrast, the 2023 budget document had dozens of pages related to capital spending with outlines of dollar amounts, project details and time frames for each initiative.
The municipality filled in some blanks on its website in the form of an appendix added to the draft budget page. There are four pages online giving a brief synopsis of each project this year.
Adrian Bell, president of the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce and a former city councillor, said the sparse information about where and how the city’s money is being spent is disconcerting.
“There may be a different approach to how the budget has been done, but the lack of detail concerns me,” he said. “The public needs to know this information because transparency is important.”
For example, the city has set aside $2.1 million for fleet management with no explanation on what exactly is being done. Another $2.16 million is planned for landfill expansion and nearly $4.5 million is proposed for fire hall renovations and expansion.
Bell said one line item is of particular importance when it comes to the chamber of commerce.
“The land fund capital projects is set at $2.2 million — what is that?” he asked. “We have concerns about how development is going to happen in the city and we want to see some details. That’s the only way to see if things are going in the right direction.”
The city’s explanation of the land fund involves land acquisition, development and subdivision plans anticipated for the next three years. That fund is important to the chamber, Bell added, because of concerns about proper land use within Yellowknife.
“People are wanting to develop new land and we have to do something about the housing crisis we have in the city,” he said. “Everyone is desperate for land and so we want to see what’s coming forward to address the needs of the people, but we have no idea.”
Yellowknifer spoke with Coun. Rob Warburton about the perceived lack of information contained with the capital spending plan.
He said many projects are multi-year with some that are called “carry forwards,” — items that weren’t completed in 2023.
“The multi-year projects are the big ones, such as the fire hall, aquatic centre, the submarine water line, the new lift station,” he said.
He also said he’s put questions to city administration about why some information wasn’t included in the budget document.
“It doesn’t help the public when you can’t see where the money is going, but I’ve requested that information and I’m waiting to hear back,” he said. “I want to be clear on where the money is going and I can appreciate that some people who read the budget may not see what’s going where. I’m eagerly awaiting the details and if (administration) haven’t included the information, I’d like the rationale.”
Budget deliberations usually involve trying to figure out the difference between needs and wants, said Bell, and councillors can’t do that if they don’t have the full picture to make a decision.
“They’re asking themselves whether something is necessary or is it something they’d like,” he said. “If administration isn’t giving them that information, there’s no way for councillors to analyze that. They need those details.”
Both Warburton and Bell acknowledged that the evacuation last summer delayed city business for several weeks as resources and people were repurposed to keep the wildfires from reaching city limits.
But Bell said at the end of the day, residents simply need to know.
“Available information isn’t the same as transparency,” he said.
Feb. 2 is the deadline for residents to submit input on the city’s draft budget.