Mayor Rob Muench presented the “State of the City” address to a breakfast crowd on September 11. The event was hosted by Brent Fitzpatrick of the Humboldt and District Chamber of Commerce. The overlying theme of Muench’s presentation was the solid fiscal state the City finds itself in and the numerous infrastructure and civic projects that have been completed or are on the books.

First and foremost, Muench outlined the City’s cash position as positive having moved from a debt position of $675,211 at the close of 2016 to a net asset position of $2,297,602 by the end of 2018.

Muench explained, “We took on no new long term debt in that two year period. Years back it seemed that if we needed something, we borrowed. But in the last two years, we’ve paid off $1.53 million in long term debt so we’re chipping away at those debts that have been accumulating for years and years.” Working with a positive cash position, along with judicious decisions on spending, should keep targeted projects on track according to Muench.

The City has also been working to offset the impact of the property reassessment of a couple of years ago by adjusting commercial tax rates, particularly those earmarked as warehouse and workshop businesses. At the same time, residential tax rates increased an average of two percent annually. The idea is to both provide for the City’s needs while making Humboldt attractive to future residents. Right now when it comes to taxation rates among Saskatchewan cities, Humboldt finds itself in the middle of the pack. 

A breakdown of expenses versus improvements shows Humboldt steadily gaining ground in necessary infrastructure improvements and leisure services amenities. Water and wastewater management along with recreation and leisure services comprise half the cities expenditures. The City continues its efforts on lagoon expansion and water main replacements. The new lift station in Humboldt’s southeast corner will better serve the community and mitigate any future hazards from torrential rains. 

As for leisure services, Muench explained that work continues on Centennial Park at the Uniplex and the City will be embarking on a new park area near 16th Avenue in Humboldt’s north end. 

Another highlight has been the gradual improvement in the condition of roads within city boundaries. The City’s Public Works Department, in its assessment of road conditions, rates Humboldt’s thoroughfares as 60% good, 30% fair, and 10% poor according to its scale. Muench explained that decisions about road repairs are made in conjunction with the condition of water mains along the street. As those major projects are completed year by year, the City can move on to roadways that have deteriorated. The pie chart Muench used to represent that state of the roads in Humboldt has changed considerably over the years for the better. 

The Mayor also gave a nod to the Cultural Services Department for its work and its impressive volunteer base. He noted that 197 volunteers committed a total of 2,743 hours of time contributing to 165 programs in the areas of heritage, arts and culture. 

The city also saw substantial local economic growth with a host of new or renewed businesses coming into play. The City collected a total of $4.9 million in commercial and residential development permits. 

Muench also outlined the numbers of businesses operating in Humboldt, “We had 333 business licenses taken out in 2018. This is going to go up with the newly implemented storefront business license. We had no idea what businesses were in the community until this point. The 333 were basically home-based businesses that didn’t include any storefronts.” Muench is confident that the licensing system, coming on stream in January 2020, will provide an accurate reflection of the business environment. He is also hopeful that revenue derived from the licenses can be directed to marketing those businesses. 

Looking forward, Muench and City Council see the remainder of 2019 presenting challenges in proceeding with Humboldt’s most critical infrastructure needs. The City also hopes to balance a level of service without impacting taxes, all while keeping Humboldt’s commercial tax rates competitive with other cities. All of this is ongoing in an environment where cuts in provincial funding have created an impact. 

The City plans to release its annual report containing an expanded overview of finances and projects in the near future. The next City Council meeting is scheduled for September 23.