Estevan's budget has been the highlight for the new Estevan city council as they've begun their term, with the initial budget meetings held earlier this month.
While those were just the early administrative budget and are subject to change, the meetings gave good insight into the city's finances for 2025.
The meetings, which took place over two days, were an important opportunity to get familiar with the finances and the individual departments, says Estevan Mayor Tony Sernick.
"It went well for a new council. We're a little spoiled, I know on the campaign trail there was some talk about management financial team and that, but we're definitely in a good position with a good city manager, a financial department, and the treasurer, they make the budget easier, they have it all laid out and everything looks good."
Sernick expects 2025 to be a busy year between infrastructure projects and a SAMA assessment.
"We're kind of a little loaded on infrastructure projects in the first year here, which is good. We moved a few things from 2026 into 2025 here, so that's good. It's a SAMA assessment year, which is the worst part about it all. If you don't know what SAMA is, they're a government organization that basically comes in and tells us how much our properties are worth. So basically everybody's taxes, they're gonna be changing this year, they may not change that much, some will change lots, some will change less, but everybody is going to change."
With the potential for changing tax rates with the assessment, Sernick says that's why the city is proposing a 2 per cent tax hike.
"That's kind of where the 2% hike comes in as well, it'll just. The assessments are no good and negative sense, we'll be short tax money. So the mill rate will have to change to make up for that tax rate. So that's where the 2% comes in, just to alleviate the shortfall a little bit."
That ax hike has not yet been voted on to be included with the budget.
As part of the budget meetings, the council members met with various department heads, with Sernick saying it was great to see them all.
"Everybody was pretty straight forward and there wasn't much, the police budget did increase. Again, almost everything did increase, it's just the world we live in, the rising cost of everything. That was really the message going forth and they bring all their ideas and yeah, we get to meet with every manager, we bring in all the third parties as well, kind of organizations that get a little bit of money from the city and there was more of a meet and greet this year. Again, new council. So the meet and greet with all the third parties went well, and then yeah, meeting with all the city management, EPS, fire department, everything went well."
Now the city will wait for some public opinion before voting on the budget during their February council meeting.
The public budget package is expected to be released by the end of day Thursday.