Park upgrades, new police drone proposed in Fredericton's 2023 capital budget

The City of Fredericton is proposing to spend millions upgrading its parks, raising streets prone to flooding, and purchasing new tech for its police force as part of its 2023 capital budget.

The $26.7 million budget presented Monday night will see the city complete projects such as Officers' Square but will also see new projects go ahead, such as upgrades to Killarney Lake Park that include the installation of disc golf equipment and mountain bike trails.

"There's a bit of everything for everyone," Coun. Henri Maillet, chair of the city's finance committee, said after a presentation by staff.

"I think everyone can find something that's going to please them in in the budget, and two, I think it, it puts us in a good position, right?"

Councillors voted to approve the budget in principle, and the plan will come back for a final vote later this fall.

$5.7M for 'more fun projects'

Of the total budget, $21 million is being spent under the city's pay-as-you-go model of capital financing, with $16.5 million of that going to replace existing infrastructure, and about $4.6 million going toward new projects, studies and designs.

The remaining $5.7 million set to be spent comes from the city's one-time debt servicing fund, said Alicia Keating, treasurer and assistant director of corporate services.

"Basically, we set aside eight per cent of our budget to pay basically the mortgage on some of our major capital buildings," she said.

"When we're not paying a mortgage with that or using that for debt servicing, we allocate it to some of the more fun projects that council likes and appreciates."

Keating said the fund covers completing the Officers' Square renovation project, which will cost the city $750,000 next year.

Other projects being paid for by that fund include new exterior lighting for city hall costing $150,000, and new LED lights on the city trails costing $50,000.

The Fredericton Police Force will also get new body-worn cameras at a cost of $61,262, and a new police drone would run the city $52,351 in 2023.

A project to build a boat launch on the St. John River for canoes and kayaks is also being proposed at a cost of $100,000.

And while it's not a new project, the city will be continuing its downtown street improvements at a cost of $2.5 million to try to make the downtown more inviting to pedestrians.

"Again, we're following our long-term financial plan and ensuring that we're focusing on renewal while continuing to invest in new infrastructure that our community wants and needs," Keating said.

Other one-time funding will go to finish the Lian-Valcour and High Point neighbourhood parks.

Inflation's impact

The budget earmarks $8.2 million for roadway operations such as asphalt resurfacing, curb and gutter renewal and storm sewer renewal.

Plus, another $1.5 million will go to road works on streets such as Regent Street, Riverside Drive, Lincoln Road and Maple Street.

Keating said the cost for those projects appeared to be most impacted by inflation.

"We did have to augment those budgets to increase them higher than they were last year to allow us to continue to do a similar level of investment and do a similar length of road but with less money," she said.