Mayor's office budget cut by $140,000

Mayor Naheed Nenshi's office budget is being trimmed by $140,000 as city council continues to search for savings to cover a multi-million dollar shortfall.

Council voted in favour of the cuts Tuesday over the objections of two aldermen who warned Nenshi that he needs the money to properly do his job.

But Nenshi told Ald. Brian Pincott and Ald. Gord Lowe that he can absorb the cuts which mostly affect his car and travel allowance and that he expects to find more efficiencies and be able to ask council to cut even more next year.

Council voted on Monday to give bus service in Calgary a $2-million boost as deliberations began on the 2011 municipal budget.

The extra funding for Calgary Transit will pay for an extra 150,000 employee hours, allowing the department to run a dedicated bus from the northeast Westwinds C-Train station to the airport.

There will also be additional service to the airport from the city's northwest, and more buses on most suburban routes midday and in the evenings, the city said.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi said he's happy council voted for the increase, because Calgarians want a better transit system.

But Ward 10 Ald. Andre Chabot voted against it.

"The main reason that I opposed it is because in 2009 when we added that many man hours to the public transportation system, ridership went down," Chabot said.

Debate on the budget was set to continue Tuesday, as council looks at $4 million in savings the Calgary Police Service said can be achieved through administrative efficiencies and higher ticket revenues.

Calgary is heading into 2011 with a projected deficit of $47.4 million.

On Monday Nenshi tabled a plan he said will accommodate that shortfall while keeping next year's property tax rate increase to 4.5 per cent - bettering the administration's target of 6.7 per cent.