Nearly 250 residents took part in a survey that will help determine how Thunder Bay will be spending its dollars and cents in the upcoming year.

The 2022 pre-budget survey closed June 29, 2021, and will be considered at Monday nights city council meeting.

Part of the consultation asked citizens how they believe the city should cover increased costs as a result of the pandemic, providing them with four separate options. The most popular choice was to draw from the reserve fund (62 per cent support). Other options that were also backed by respondents included temporarily modifying or reducing services (50 per cent support) or increasing user fees (39 per cent support). The most popular answer when asked which service they would be most comfortable with modifying or reducing focused on the multi-use indoor turf facility. Other less popular responses included limiting or changing police services, libraries, golf courses, or transit.

The final option and by far the least popular was increasing taxes (10 per cent support).

City Treasurer Linda Evans says that in terms of where respondents wanted budget funds to go, there were many of the usual topics that seem to be present yearly.

“Certainly it’s an opportunity for council to hear opinions from residents about what programs or services are important to them, and on the other hand what programs and services could be reduced or modified,” explains Evans. “Really, as can be expected, when individuals spoke of what’s important, services, roads, of course emergency services, winter maintenance, drinking water, those common themes came through again this year.”

Along with this, the physical features of Thunder Bay and helping the vulnerable population in the city were found to be important to those who responded to the survey as well.

“Recreation, parks, trails, certainly the concern about city beautification was mentioned as well or the desire to enhance city beautification,” says Evans. “Of course issues around housing, homelessness, and the importance of managing or addressing the situation of our vulnerable residents were important as well.”

Council now has the opportunity to look over the responses when determining how the city’s money will be spent. The 2022 budget is being compiled now and will be available to council in December, and the public in early January.

The respondents of the survey represented 147 different postal code areas from around the city.