Funding requests for 2017 begin to mount at city hall

Funding requests for 2017 are starting to mount at city hall before councillors and finance officials put together next year's budget.

City council's protection, parks and community services committee voted Monday to approve a request from the city parks and open spaces branch for $2.8 million more in 2017 to ensure city boulevards and lawns in parks are mowed more often during the peak growing season.

The request will now wind up before the councillors and city finance officials responsible for putting together the 2017 budget. They intend to spend the fall working on the spending plan, which could be presented to council as early as November, though budgets sometimes are not tabled until the end of February.

City council finance chairmanMartyMorantz(Charleswood-Tuxedo) said last week while he appreciates that officials are coming forward with budget requests, he could not commit to the funding.

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The protection, community services and parks committee also voted to eliminate fines for kids and young adults as a means of improvingliteracy.

The city'slibrary branch recommended the move because families with less money may not have access to library books and other materials because of the fees.

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Winnipeg library board chair Joan Blakley told the committeecities that eliminated the fees did not see the number of fines increase. Instead,more young people signed up for library cards in cities where the fees were eliminated.

The elimination of thefees will cost the city $102,000 a year. This plan will come before the budget process as well.