Prince George, B.C.- When Mayor and Council for the City of Prince George resume  their budget discussions today,   there will be a number of enhancements and   two significant  capital projects to be discussed.

Fire Hall #1 has served the community for many years, but is  inadequate on a number of fronts.  A report to Council  asks for the Hall to be replaced and relocated to a site  east of  the YMCA.  The cost for that project is $15 million dollars.

The capital  plan  doesn’t call for any spending in 2017 on that  replacement, but   $415 thousand  in 2018 and 2019,  a little over $10 million in 2020 and a further $4.1 million in 2021.

Then there’s the matter of the Four Seasons pool replacement,  a project estimated to cost $34 million dollars.  The Capital plan  looks to spend $100 thousand on that project in 2017,   another $5.3 million in  2018,  then  $19.7 million in 2019,  another $9.3 million in 2020  and  a final $600 thousand in 2021.

Both projects are listed as “funded”  with the dollars coming from  a loan  through the Municipal Finance Authority.

Carrying the combined debt load for the two projects  could  add  as much as $87.87 to  the tax bill of a typical homeowner,  depending on the length of term for the loan.

While the capital plan calls  for  $70 thousand  to be spent this year  towards the development of the Nechako Riverside Park ,  north east of the  Foothills Bridge.  The initial dollars  are coming from Development Cost Charges,  but next year,  the plan calls for the City to borrow $630 thousand   to further that project.

The plan also  lays out the  reduction in  road rehab by $2 million dollars,  with  $1 million going toward sidewalk rehabilitation and  construction.

What is missing from the “funded”  projects list is  the proposed new entrance for the  Bob Harkins Branch of the  Prince George Library.  That’s a $2.47 million dollar project.

The enhancements  include:

An additional $113,273  to the police budget for 2017  for  extra officers.  That represents just a partial cost, as  new officers wouldn’t likely be on board until September.  The real impact would be felt in 2018, when the cost would be $339,818.

Aquatics  is calling for another $247,478 dollars  to  hire  new lifeguards

Social Planning  would like  just under $141.5 thousand  for  a social planning coordinator   and  a data management contract.

Parks services would like to see it’s budget boosted by a  further $81 thousand to  hire a seasonal worker,  rent a pick up truck and  pay for extra work by the roads division, all in an effort to  get rid of the weeds on sidewalks, bouelvards and trails.

Depending on which, if any, of the requested  enhancements receive approval,  the  projected 2.73% increase in the dollars raised through taxation,  could  easily climb over the 3%  mark.