The City of Estevan has released its proposed annual budget for 2025 to the public, examining the city's finances in the new year.
In that, they lay out the city's budget, which has been updated from the initial budget laid out at the beginning of January.
For the General Operations Fund, revenues are expected to total $28,045,870, up from the original figure of $27,721,021, and expenses are expected to be $26,312,561, slightly up from the earlier document's $26,229,959.
That leaves them with $1,733,310 available in funds for capital expenditures. Meanwhile, the Utility Operations & Debt Reduction section is unchanged from the previous paper.
When going over their funding sources, the city mentions that "property taxes will reflect a 2 per cent increase in 2025.". They attribute that to the increased costs the area is seeing due to the carbon tax.
In the budget, the city also lays out some of their biggest capital projects for 2025.
One of the top items on their list is the roadways and infrastructure rehabilitation, which will see improvements and repairs made to the Smith Street Reservoir and various roads and sidewalks throughout the year.
The city will also preside over upgrades for the Estevan Leisure Centre, which will include painting the beams in the Access Communications Aquatic Centre and replacing the boilers at the Leisure Centre.
Hillside Park will also receive a paddling pool replacement, similar to the one located in Churchill Park, and a new roof on the building in Hillside Park.
Other departments have a number of initiatives to continue the work they were doing in 2024 into the new year as well.
The Estevan City Council will vote on the budget in February following a period of public comment. You can find a copy of the budget and information on how to contact the city here.