Moose Jaw Forum

The projected year-end budget for Mosaic Place and the field house, according to figures provided to the budget committee on Monday, shows a $609,276 deficit expected at the end of 2011. However, the amount of money the city provided the operating board at the beginning of last year was about $1.23 million. Therefore, there should be $622,710 available still in the boards’ coffers.

Yet, for 2012 the Mosaic Place and field house operating board is requesting $976,267 funding from the city.

Board chairman Kurt Saladana told the Times-Herald the board is still uncertain as to how much the final budget for 2011 will be, as those exact final figures would not be available until audited statements are available around April.

Therefore, the projected year-end figures are based on actual figures from January to October, and estimates for November and December.

He said any surplus resulting from 2011 would be handled in two ways. Firstly, at the recommendation of the city, he said $250,000 would be put into a capital reserve for the purpose of dealing with matters as they arise at the two facilities.

Secondly, he said the board intends to use the rest of any surplus against the 2012 budget, thus lessoning the amount of money the city must fund the downtown facility and field house in 2012.

During Monday’s regular council meeting, Coun. Brian Swanson said Mosaic Place and the field house 2011 figures show, as he suspected last year, the operating board had requested far more funding from the city than required. On top of that, he said in 2012 the board is still asking for considerably more money compared to what was apparently required last year.


“I do not think it’s the role of taxpayers for the City of Moose Jaw to provide third-party boards with double what they require so they can establish reserves that they can use at their discretion,” he said.

For more on this story, read an upcoming edition of the Times-Herald.

http://www.mjtimes.sk.ca/Local/News/201 ... for-2011/1

zephyrn wrote: at the recommendation of the city, he said $250,000 would be put into a capital reserve for the purpose of dealing with matters as they arise at the two facilities.

Does anyone know of any truth to this statement? Like when and by whom was this recommendation made? Does this hold true for all third party boards?

jty wrote:

zephyrn wrote: at the recommendation of the city, he said $250,000 would be put into a capital reserve for the purpose of dealing with matters as they arise at the two facilities.

Does anyone know of any truth to this statement? Like when and by whom was this recommendation made? Does this hold true for all third party boards?

no motion was ever passed by council making such a recommendation, so i'm not sure who "the city" is. maybe the council members on their board? maybe the one councillor who insisted at the budget meeting last night that the $600,000 was "mythical". Nice to see Saladana talking about what to do with "mythical" money.

Priapus wrote: the one councillor who insisted at the budget meeting last night that the $600,000 was "mythical". Nice to see Saladana talking about what to do with "mythical" money.

LOL

Let me guess the one councilor is one of the ones who sits on the MOB?

jty wrote:

zephyrn wrote: at the recommendation of the city, he said $250,000 would be put into a capital reserve for the purpose of dealing with matters as they arise at the two facilities.

Does anyone know of any truth to this statement? Like when and by whom was this recommendation made? Does this hold true for all third party boards?

for the most part, i believe the Multiplex is somewhat unique if it is going to maintain its own capital reserve as that the city is responsible for maintaining any buildings used by other third party boards. those costs are allocated in the parks and rec dept budget. However, any reserves that the third party boards are responsible for must be accounted for in their operating budgets. that means most third party boards are asking for operating costs (which includes their contributions to reserves for their equipment) and the capital costs are added to that for a total cost. that is why you can find two different numbers for most of them, depending on where you look in the budget document.

jty wrote:

Priapus wrote: the one councillor who insisted at the budget meeting last night that the $600,000 was "mythical". Nice to see Saladana talking about what to do with "mythical" money.

LOL

Let me guess the one councilor is one of the ones who sits on the MOB?

LOL yep. Coleman used the word mythical multiple times.

"Mythical" must come from the same Dictionary as where he got "Transparent" from when he suggested creating the MOB!! What a well practiced bureaucrat that clearly belongs in a closet!! Lol.

Sledge wrote:"Mythical" must come from the same Dictionary as where he got "Transparent" from when he suggested creating the MOB!! What a well practiced bureaucrat that clearly belongs in a closet!! Lol.

More COWBOY POLITICS? This councilor seems well versed in the art of COWBOY POLITICS.

I don't think it is unique for them to invent recommendations from whoever...but it really puts a burr under my saddle when I read this...
It's our tax dollars that they are passing out like bad grades....time they reeled in the spending. I just noticed the hospital cost, plus we need road repair, water and sewer line repair...stop giving money to these sports plex's and start putting it where it is needed most.

The thing that really gets my Irish up - big time - is the fact that they (Councilors) are dealing with our (taxpayer) money, and work for us, yet they are continually trying to find and use UNDERHANDED methods to manipulate and hide all types of real-time information from us in order to glorify their status and make things look rosier than they are!! To me this is totally unconscionable and I'm sure they know better, but they do it anyway. And TRANSPARENCY is clearly absent from their activities, but not their vocabulary!! If they tried this tactic in a Company they would be summarily FIRED!! The Councilors involved will have their day of reckoning, but the MOB members could have been much more forthcoming with fiscal information also, so where is their accountability?? Based on this information the MOB should be disbanded and a more accountable structure established!!