County of Grande Prairie officials aren’t expecting to see any numbers slashed as they prepare for their yearly budget deliberation. Recently, the City of Grande Prairie went through a restructuring that led to more than 40 positions being cut.
“At this point, we’ve seen the budget documents and continue to have those discussed,” says County Reeve Leanne Beaupre. “As far as staffing impacts, I don’t anticipate there are any, but, of course, that’s a decision of council.”
Coming off a total 2019 budget of $139.7 million, Beaupre knows the calendar year has brought some steep fiscal challenges at higher levels of government. She believes councillors must stick to local wants and needs as they look to cement the financial future of the region.
“Council recognizes the state of the economy of the province and the world for that matter; it is a reflection of what’s happening out there, and looking at our budget how we can most efficiently spend dollars and deliver services at a level our ratepayers most need and want.”
Beaupre adds she doesn’t foresee any big surprises when it comes to major ticket infrastructure projects, either.
“I know we do a three-year capital plan and five-year operational budget… we’ve been doing that for several years so any projects we knew were coming up they’ve already been included in our fiscal plan. We’ve been planning for them accordingly and looking for the revenue sources as they come.”
Deliberations are scheduled from December 4th to 6th at the County of Grande Prairie Administration Building. They are open to the public.
