SPRING 2020 www.city-plap.com Mayor’s Message Managing During a Pandemic I hope that everyone is doing well and staying healthy at home during these challenging times. roughout the COVID 19 pandemic, I’ve witnessed the compassion and generosity of our community. Portage has a long tradition of neighbours helping neighbours, and we see examples of this every day – businesses going the extra mile to ensure the safety of their customers and staff, neighbours delivering groceries and essential items, and citizens checking in on each other by phone and email. Our goal at the City of Portage la Prairie is to provide uninterrupted service in this difficult time. Although our buildings are closed, our dedicated staff are still on the job and able to assist you through email or over the phone. As this situation progresses, I want to assure you that we will continue to provide essential services such as safe drinking water, fire protection, and police services. We have a planned multi-phase approach to maintain these essential services in the event of staff shortages. Our staff continue to work on the front lines, protecting public safety and critical infrastructure. In the coming weeks as our community begins to re-open, I want to acknowledge and thank some of the people who have helped keep our community safe throughout this very challenging time. ank you to our front-line service providers in health care, RCMP and fire fighters, for everything you are doing to keep our community safe. ank you to our City staff for all their hard work, safeguarding the critical services that our citizens rely on. ank you to the many people working hard to provide important services that we all depend on – the grocery store clerks, gas station attendants, and pharmacy staff to name a few. And finally, I want to say thank you to all of you, for doing your part and staying home. We all have a very important role to play in this pandemic and together we will flatten the curve and get through this. - Mayor Irvine Ferris As a father of 12 and 15-year-old girls with a career that requires contact with other people, I have empathy for the struggles of everyone in our community, country, and planet! PLANET? How oſten can a statement like that be made? What the world is going through is terrible and will continue to be hard, but a silver lining can be found if you just know the right places to look. School is out and the kids are home. For most of us this means home schooling, monitoring the home classroom, and for a lot of parents (me included) the dread of trying to wrap your head around “new math”. e girls miss their friends and the school they hated is now what they miss the most; isn’t it funny how perspective changes? is is also a time to connect with our families and actually be present in each other’s lives. We (my family) have family activities most evenings and I have become the girls most, and least favorite gym teacher. Let’s face it though, through technology the teachers are still doing most of the work. Fellow Gen-X’ers, imagine what this would have looked like had this happened when we were children! ose few TV channels would have become monotonous by now and social distancing would have prevented us from hanging out with our friends. One would have to assume that Hutlet’s Corner Store and Tricky’s would have been closed had this happened in 1985, and then where would we have gotten our movies and video game rentals? Technology today allows us to get face time with our friends and family, and we have so many electronic options that we should really never run out of things to entertain us. e Portage & District Chamber of Commerce along with many of the local businesses have been a beacon of positivity. Local businesses have openly communicated their strategies for combating COVID-19 through extra cleaning measures, social distancing, and policy changes such as numbers allowed in stores and clear markers of where to stand to comply with guidelines for social distancing. Restaurants have extended options for delivery and pick-up and from what I see, many have been taking advantage of these options. e Chamber has been doing a great job of providing one location to find all of these updates (https://www.facebook.com/ groups/2886532794745790/). All things considered; it could be worse. All levels of government are taking steps to help. e federal government has assistance programs that are impressive in scope and speed and they should be commended. We will get through this and perhaps come out of this just a little better than we were. - Councillor Ryan Espey Mayor Irvine Ferris FROM OUR TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE CHAIR Councillor Ryan Espey www.city-plap.com
Welcome message from author
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
SPRING 2020www.city-plap.com
Mayor’s Message
Managing During a Pandemic
I hope that everyone is doing well and stayinghealthy at home during these challenging times.
Throughout the COVID 19 pandemic, I’vewitnessed the compassion and generosity ofour community. Portage has a long traditionof neighbours helping neighbours, and we seeexamples of this every day – businesses goingthe extra mile to ensure the safety of theircustomers and staff, neighbours deliveringgroceries and essential items, and citizenschecking in on each other by phone and email.
Our goal at the City of Portage la Prairie is toprovide uninterrupted service in this difficulttime. Although our buildings are closed, ourdedicated staff are still on the job and able to
assist you through email or over the phone.
As this situation progresses, I want to assure you that we will continue to provideessential services such as safe drinking water, fire protection, and police services.
We have a planned multi-phase approach to maintain these essential services in theevent of staff shortages. Our staff continue to work on the front lines, protecting publicsafety and critical infrastructure.
In the coming weeks as our community begins to re-open, I want to acknowledge andthank some of the people who have helped keep our community safe throughout thisvery challenging time.
Thank you to our front-line service providers in health care, RCMP and fire fighters, foreverything you are doing to keep our community safe.
Thank you to our City staff for all their hard work, safeguarding the critical services thatour citizens rely on.
Thank you to the many people working hard to provide important services that we alldepend on – the grocery storeclerks, gas station attendants,and pharmacy staff to name afew.
And finally, I want to say thankyou to all of you, for doingyour part and staying home.We all have a very importantrole to play in this pandemicand together we will flatten thecurve and get through this.
- Mayor Irvine Ferris
As a father of 12 and 15-year-old girls with a career that requires contact with other people, I have empathy for the struggles of everyone inour community, country, and planet! PLANET? How often can a statement like that be made? What the world is going through is terribleand will continue to be hard, but a silver lining can be found if you just know the right places to look.School is out and the kids are home. For most of us this means home schooling, monitoring the home classroom, and for a lot of parents(me included) the dread of trying to wrap your head around “new math”. The girls miss their friends and the school they hated is now whatthey miss the most; isn’t it funny how perspective changes?This is also a time to connect with our families and actually be present in each other’s lives. We (my family) have family activities mostevenings and I have become the girls most, and least favorite gym teacher. Let’s face it though, through technology the teachers are stilldoing most of the work.Fellow Gen-X’ers, imagine what this would have looked like had this happened when we were children! Those few TV channels wouldhave become monotonous by now and social distancing would have prevented us from hanging out with our friends. One would haveto assume that Hutlet’s Corner Store and Tricky’s would have been closed had this happened in 1985, and then where would we havegotten our movies and video game rentals? Technology today allows us to get face time with our friends and family, and we have so manyelectronic options that we should really never run out of things to entertain us.The Portage & District Chamber of Commerce along with many of the local businesses have been a beacon of positivity. Local businesses
have openly communicated their strategies for combating COVID-19 through extra cleaning measures, social distancing, and policy changes such as numbers allowed instores and clear markers of where to stand to comply with guidelines for social distancing. Restaurants have extended options for delivery and pick-up and from what I see,many have been taking advantage of these options. The Chamber has been doing a great job of providing one location to find all of these updates (https://www.facebook.com/groups/2886532794745790/).All things considered; it could be worse. All levels of government are taking steps to help. The federal government has assistance programs that are impressive in scope and speedand they should be commended. We will get through this and perhaps come out of this just a little better than we were.- Councillor Ryan Espey
Mayor Irvine Ferris
FROM OUR TRANSPORTATIONCOMMITTEE CHAIR Councillor Ryan Espey
www.city-plap.com
BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS
2020 GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES
These are unusual times. While it is expected COVID-19 will impact the roll out ofour 2020 budgeted projects, we remain committed to our vision “to be an inclusive,healthy community which strives to maximize the opportunities and quality of life forits citizens” through our long term development and renewal plans for our city.Economic growth is outstanding with almost $200 million in building permits issuedby the end of 2019.The future of our city is positive and for the 2020 budget, the city is again working inpartnership with our residents and businesses to support their success.Downtown revitalization projects will begin in 2020 with a new parking strategy,renewed sidewalks and lighting. We are initiating investigative work for the
redevelopment of Saskatchewan Ave West and working with our municipal partners at the Poplar BluffIndustrial Park.
-Councillor Brent BudzFinance, Legislative & Property Committee Chair
Services AmountFiscal 6,861,000Protective 6,154,000General Government 2,576,000Recreation & Cultural 2,386,000Transportation 2,357,000Transfers - Prior Yrs. Surpluses to Reserves 1,086,000Environmental Health 896,000Environmental Development 412,000Public Health & Welfare 343,000Economic Development 179,000
Subtotal $23,250,000Allowance for Tax Assets 60,000
Total: $23,310,000
MILL RATE
Municipal School ESL2019 21.061 13.877 9.7702020 19.421 12.964 8.828
2020 CAPITAL PROJECTS (OVER $300,000)
10 YEAR CAPITAL PLAN 2021-2030 (OVER $1,000,000)
Project AmountGeneral Fund:Crescent Lake Causeway $1,600,000Saskatchewan Ave West Design 500,000Operations Trucks & Heavy Equipment 430,000Street Renewal - Pavings 360,000Downtown Sidewalks, Lighting 350,000
Total General Fund: $3,240,000
Project AmountUtility Fund:Waste Water Plant Upgrade Project $6,100,000Water Treatment Plant Upgrades 2,250,000Sludge Removal/Digester Cleanout 2,000,000Industrial Parks Upgrades 1,415,000Waste Water Plant - LRAR 470,000Equipment, Valves 400,000Ozone Generator 400,000
Total Utility Fund: $13,035,000
Project Term Commences Total 10 Yr AmountGeneral Fund:Saskatchewan Ave West - Rebuild 3 years 2022 $18,000,000Crescent Lake Causeway 4 years 2019 6,700,000Road Renewal - Paving Ongoing 2021 5,800,000Heavy Equipment Renewal Ongoing 2021 2,615,000Industrial Park - road expansion 1 year 2028 2,000,000Pool Truck Vehicles - Regular Renewal Ongoing 2021 1,492,000Land Drainage Sewer Cleaning Program Ongoing 2021 1,420,000Land Drainage Sewer Renewal Program Ongoing 2021 1,025,000
Total: $39,052,000Utility Fund:Saskatchewan Ave West - water/sewer 1 Year 2021 $5,800,000Industrial Park -conveyance system expansion Ongoing 2021 5,000,000GAC Replacement 1 year 2028 4,000,000Lime Sludge Pond Cleaning 2 years 2024 3,400,000Wastewater Collection system Ongoing 2021 2,835,000Water distribution system Ongoing 2021 2,400,000SBRs - liners Ongoing 2021 2,350,000Water system upgrading Ongoing 2021 2,315,000Heavy equipment - utility renewal Ongoing 2021 1,450,000Poplar Bluff Reservoir & Watermain 1 year 2021 1,440,000McKay Reservoir - Roof replacement 1 year 2024 1,200,000Watermain renewal program 6 years 2021 1,190,000Public Works garage 2 years 2026 1,000,000
Total: $34,380,000
* Funded all or partially by government grants
FREQUENTLY CALLED NUMBERS
Animal Control Officer/ Bylaw Enforcement 204-239-8326Garbage/Recycling 204-239-8346Property Taxes 204-239-8308Streets/Sidewalks 204-239-8346Water & Sewer Billing 204-239-8370(Check your phone book or our website for a complete listing.)
City Hall97 Saskatchewan Ave. E Portage la Prairie, MB R1N 0L8
Email: [email protected] www.city-plap.com
2020 GENERAL FUND REVENUE
YOUR 2018-2022 COUNCIL
Source AmountProperty Taxes 11,942,000Sales - City Services 4,616,000Prov of MB/Local GovernmentGrants
2,249,000
Transfers from Surplus 1,311,000Municipal Tax Share 1,080,000Federal Government Grants 854,000Fines, Fees, Interest & Penalties 664,000Other Taxes 378,000Licenses, Rentals, Permits 216,000
Total: $23,310,000
COUNCIL MEETINGS6:00 p.m. at City Hall unless otherwise stated
Council meetings are closed to the public until further notice;however, they can be live-streamed or watched after the fact
on the City’s YouTube Channel.
Meeting agendas are posted on our website athttp://www.city-plap/cityplap/cityhall/council-agendas/
Tuesday, June 9, 2020 Monday, June 22, 2020 Monday, July 13, 2020 Monday, August 10, 2020 Monday, September 14, 2020
Monday, September 28, 2020 Tuesday, October 13, 2020 Monday, October 26, 2020 Monday, November 9, 2020 Monday, December 14, 2020
Delegation ProcessTo apply to be a delegation at a Council meeting, please fill out the form providedat City Hall or submit online through the Council page of our website. Includethe topic and scope of your presentation, and submit on or before the Wednesdayprior to the Council meeting you wish to appear at.
Delegations are scheduled for 6:00 pm at Council meetings, and are given5 minutes to present. Delegation groups are asked to appoint one spokesperson.
Meetings are held in Council Chambers on the 2nd floor of City Hall at 97Saskatchewan Avenue E., on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month unlessotherwise stated.
All Council and Committee meetings are open to the public. To attend as anobserver, there is no need to register. Council meeting agendas and minutes arelocated on our website.
Meetings taking place at City Hall may be viewed live or afterwards on our website,on the City’s YouTube Channel. See the website for details - www.city-plap.com.
Back Row, Left to Right:
Councillor Wayne [email protected](Waterworks Committee)
Councillor Ryan [email protected](Transportation Committee)
Deputy Mayor Brent [email protected](Finance, Legislative, & PropertyCommittee)
Councillor Preston [email protected](City Planning & Economic DevelopmentCommittee)
Front Row, Left to Right:
Councillor Sharilyn [email protected](Public Safety Committee)
Mayor Irvine Ferris,204-239-8333 [email protected]
Councillor Melissa [email protected](Community Services Committee)
For your convenience,you can find a
tax calculator on our website's Finance page
at the site below.
See more atwww.city-plap.com/main/finance
Related Documents
