The City of Châteauguay ended the year 2020 with an accumulated surplus of $40 million. Outgoing mayor Pierre-Paul Routhier believes that this money could be used for major projects such as the future indoor aquatic complex, the outdated police station or the realignment of Saint-Francis and Industrial boulevards. What do you think? What project would you prioritize for the use of the accumulated surplus?
Translation by Renaud Médan
Nathalie Simon, Citizens’ Action
Dealing with climate threats, ensuring clean water, conserving our natural environment and helping the economy are priority objectives. Healthy management requires making long-term projections and protecting the municipality and its citizens from potential climate and pandemic threats.
This money must be used equitably for the needs of today and tomorrow. There must be a buffer for emergencies. However, it is risky to speculate on the use of accumulated surpluses: we do not know the state of finances for the year 2021. Huge expenses were undertaken by the outgoing administration in this election year.
With a 34% increase in executive salaries passed in September and numerous loans passed in recent months (nearly $16M at the October 4 meeting alone), we are waiting to see the state of things before making a decision. The indoor pool, police station and St. Francis/Industrial alignment projects, while important, must be funded in other ways. Finally, this money belongs to the citizens of Châteauguay and we will consult them.
Lucie Lamoureux, Impact Châteauguay
We can add to this list of projects the upgrade of our drinking water infrastructure, the continuation of work in the industrial park, etc. It is obvious that such an important amount of money must be invested wisely while evaluating all the impacts.
We will have to add criteria in the evaluation of projects such as the scope of the project, its impact on health, safety, the quality of life of citizens, the project’s potential in terms of environmental and/or economic benefits, and the possibilities of subsidies. In addition, because these surpluses belong to the citizens, we will present the project(s) that will be the most promising with their analysis to allow everyone to decide on the next steps.
The next step for our party will be to develop a surplus management policy so that we can decide with the people of Châteauguay where the money from the next surplus will go. The Impact Châteauguay Party was born with the notion of balance between our ambitions and our obligations, and it is in this sense that we will approach development, for and with the citizens.
Eric Allard, Alliance Châteauguay
The accumulated surplus that we are talking about comes essentially from non-recurring money in the city’s budget. It is important to remember that a good part of it is not free to be used, since part of it is already allocated.
Before we talk about any particular project, we need to remember that we advocate for public consultation first. We can assure that we will consult the population on this subject, listen to suggestions and make sure that we are considering adopting a project that would not be long-term for the city. It is important that the entire new council takes the time to strategically plan our future by involving the citizens.
There are many possibilities and priorities in the city, and they must be properly planned. For example, the refurbishment of Anjou Boulevard, the linear park, our drinking water production, the amphitheatre at LPP school, the 350th anniversary of Châteauguay, the continuation of the development of new parks for teenagers or seniors alike, the integral protection of the green corridor or the need for an outdoor swimming pool in the city, to name a few.
All the needs must be properly analyzed and it is important to ensure that all available subsidies are accessed before undertaking any expenditures.
