City council was unanimous Monday evening in voting to adopt the 2019 capital budget, worth up to $23.9 million.

It includes $8.9 million in guaranteed funds from city reserves, with the remainder to be approved through other federal and territorial funding sources.

Before all seven council members raised their hands in favour of the spending plan though, there was a lengthy discussion about where they’d like to see the city go in future years.

Coun. Samson Hartland was the first councillor to speak up before the vote. He highlighted the need for an asset management plan.

While the city has $100,000 per year identified for the ongoing work, Hartland suggested it needs to be of the utmost importance. The plan would take into account city priorities to determine spending.

While he would support the proposed 2019 spending plan, Hartland said, it will be difficult to do so for future capital budgets without an asset management plan in place.

Coun. Dan Boyd echoed those sentiments, stating he’d like to see the city move forward as quickly as possible to get such a plan in place.

He also pointed to the submissions coming into the city to put as much funding the city can into fuel abatement.

The city should examine using equipment to remove fuel sources and then look at using the wood for biomass heating initiatives, Boyd argued.

Meanwhile, Coun. Laura Cabott, one of three members who did not serve on the 2015-18 council, noted much of the work that went into this budget was done by the previous council.

This council, she noted, will likely have more impact on the next budget.

Cabott then highlighted projects she believes are important in the coming years.

Those include the building of a new firehall downtown, a number of upgrades to recreational facilities that will help ensure the city is in good shape to host the 2020 Arctic Winter Games, and beginning efforts to implement the newest transit plan.

She argued, though, that the capital plan should be doing more to address wildlife/human conflicts.

“There’s a lot the city could do,” she said.

Work to address infrastructure improvements needed in Hillcrest should be happening sooner, Cabott also suggested, noting there’s no mention of it in 2019.

Rather, the provisional budget for 2020 looks at consultation in the neighbourhood with detailed design not eyed until 2021.

Cabott stressed the need to improve routes around the city for cyclists, noting that could help reduce traffic congestion and parking issues in the downtown sector.

She then went on to also point to the asset management plan. She echoed Boyd’s and Hartland’s concerns, suggesting the city may need to consider contracting out the work on the plan, given the already-heavy workload city staff are tasked with.

Similarly, Coun. Steve Roddick brought forward concerns. He highlighted the steep learning curve that comes with being a new councillor dealing with a proposed new budget.

Roddick said he’s confident that next year, the current council will have more of a foothold in the direction the budget takes.

He’s happy to see initiatives like transit and a focus on Indigenous place names.

However, Roddick said, he too shares the concerns of other council members around the asset management plan, the need for a connector trail between Two Mile Hill and the waterfront, human/wildlife conflicts and other matters.

Coun. Jan Stick said she was surprised at the number of residents concerned about fuel abatement and emergency planning. They’re important issues for the city to look at and communicate with citizens on, she added.

Stick also shared her agreement with other councillors on the importance of getting an asset management plan done.

As Mayor Dan Curtis noted though, such a plan can’t be done with “just a snap of the fingers.”

Coming up with a budget with limited funds for many needed projects “is a balancing act,” he said. He went on to stress the role funds like the federal gasoline tax has in ensuring much of the city work is done.

As Coun. Jocelyn Curteanu noted, the city receives a lot of support from other levels of government for many capital projects.

Among the ventures set to happen in 2019 are:

the design and construction of the new firehall near the waterfront, with $3.3 million budgeted for the 2019 portion of work;

nearly $300,000 to replace traffic signals at Fourth Avenue and Main Street and at Quartz Road and Chilkoot Way;

$200,000 for Fire-Smarting;

$200,000 on security upgrades at city hall;

$500,000 proposed to replace aging city vehicles;

$270,000 for downtown trails, parks and playgrounds, including the resurfacing of paved trails;

$30,000 to expand the Grey Mountain Cemetery;

$185,000 to replace the dasher board system for the Takhini Arena; and

$40,000 to replace wellness centre equipment at the Canada Games Centre.