Councillors, Mayor vote to take 10 percent pay cut

Lethbridge City Council began budget deliberations as the Finance Committee is preparing its 2021 to 2022 Operating Budget Review. A wide range of groups came forward making their pitch to council as to what their needs were.

That included a request by Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden for $171,190 to support the society’s operations. The Lethbridge Sport Council requested that the $55,000 new Initiative funding be extended until December 31, 2022. The Southern Alberta Art Gallery requested continuation of the increased operating funding by the city and the Southern Alberta Ethnic Association requested continued funding to help maintain operations.

Lethbridge council also unanimously approved a 10 percent pay cut for councillors and the mayor into 2021. Also no increase for 2022.

At the Finance Committee, Lethbridge Councillor Blaine Hyggen asked Police Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh if his department could handle a budget freeze for 2021 and 2022 to which Mehdizadeh agreed that his department could likely accommodate that.