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At last Monday's priorities, policies and budget committee meeting, councillors mulled over three options, and several appeared keen to let the public decide, in a plebescite, what to about a $2 million overrun.
Administration is now predicting the cost of completing Phase I of the arena will be nearly $13.3 million.
Administration has identified $1.2 million in excess funding to counter the shortfall, but still need another $800,000. "I don't want to see us beg, borrow and steal to get the funding," said Coun. Dave Ramsay. "I think it should go to the ratepayers."
Councillors Blake Lyons, Rob Hawkins, and Wendy Bisaro also appeared in favour of a plebiscite.
Other councillors were holding their cards closer to their chest, preferring more time to weigh the options.
Besides the plebiscite, council can either defer $800,000 from 2002 and 2003 capital projects funding or use money set aside for its solid waste management, land development, and general fund. If council decides to go with the plebiscite option, they will have to decide how much they want to borrow.
Phase II of the project, estimated at $3.5 million, could also be included into the plebiscite, but a local citizens group is also raising money for that portion of the project. Coun. Alan Woytuik criticized administration for taking $200,000 out of the city's general surplus and including it into a $360,000 arena contingency fund -- money that was not included in the original estimate for the site.
"Five months ago we were scrapping and scraping to get every nickel, and all of a sudden we have $200,000 for this," Woytuik scoffed.
"I think we should give it back to the ratepayers as a rebate." He wanted the contingency fund slashed from $360,000 to $100,000. Coun. Dave McCann also wanted know how administration fell $2 million short from the original construction target of $11.3 million.
"If we're hiring professionals to do our estimates, and they're coming in 20 per cent over budget, there's a problem," said McCann. City administrator Max Hall replied, "it's causing us stress too. We're working through that."
Council will make a decision on how to fund arena shortfall June 24.
