“I’m pleased council has affirmed the decision they made in July and we can continue moving forward and be confident we will get great responses from developers.”
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City council has decided to uphold a promise to help fund the Central Library renewal project after a circular debate that ate up nearly all of a special meeting on Tuesday.
“We made a commitment to fund this library,” argued Coun. Bob Hawkins (Ward 2) before the vote. “If we don’t follow through on our commitments, we undermine the credibility of municipal government.”
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Council voted in July to commit at least $92 million and up to $119 million to the project (a rebuild of the Regina Public Library’s main branch downtown) despite a recommendation from administration to delay a decision until the fall.
Couns. Cheryl Stadnichuk (Ward 1), Lori Bresciani (Ward 4), Terina Nelson (Ward 7) and Shanon Zachidniak (Ward 8) brought forward a reconsideration motion in late August that sought to reverse that decision.
All four said the concern over spending piqued when council heard that the Indoor Aquatic Centre was $84.4 million over budget. That’s in addition to the fact that only seven out of 11 council members were present during the July vote.
“If we had a location (for the library), it would be cheaper,” Bresciani argued during Tuesday’s meeting, which had been added to the schedule to deal with last week’s leftover agenda items.
RPL board chair Marj Gavigan echoed the same pleas she made three months ago, spending more than an hour trying to impress upon council that reneging on its promise would only delay site selection for the renewed branch.
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“Assuring us you will provide $119 million does not mean we will need $119 million. We don’t know what we need until we hear from developers and we won’t hear from developers if you choose not to fund this project,” Gavigan said. “We’ve needed a new Central Library for 15 years. Let’s not waste any more time.”
Ultimately, only the four councillors who put forward the reconsideration motion voted in favour. Six others voted against while Coun. Landon Mohl (Ward 10) recused himself.
“I’m pleased council has affirmed the decision they made in July and we can continue moving forward and be confident we will get great responses from developers,” Gavigan told media following the vote.
Central Library was built in 1963 and the RPL board has been discussing a renewal plan since 2009. It is now estimated that with inflation it may cost between $120 million and $150 million by 2026, the year that construction was envisioned to begin.
Though the board argued in 2022 that a new central branch should be rebuilt in its current location, the plan remains far from locked in. RPL is still considering relocation into Cornwall Centre or another building downtown as well as the option of building from scratch on a new lot.
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During Tuesday’s meeting, Coun. Jason Mancinelli (Ward 9) asked if the RPL had given council any new information in the day’s discussion — as in, answers that weren’t in hand for the July vote.
Gavigan simply replied: “No.”
“Taxpayers call us and tell us their frustration that ‘you 11 people all make more than $50,000 a year and are making tax decisions that I can’t afford.’ What do you say about their frustration?” Nelson asked the board chair.
“I can tell you I’ve talked to taxpayers who are frustrated that 11 people sitting around this table making more than $50,000 can’t make a decision,” Gavigan replied.
She also reminded council that Central Library is part of the city’s nearly $1-billion infrastructure deficit and is already costing taxpayers to fix failing elements of the building on a yearly basis.
Gavigan also revealed Tuesday that RPL held back on presenting a funding request in 2020 because the board was told “council at that time did not want to base an election on building a new library.”
Since the reconsideration motion was filed, Bresciani has announced a campaign for mayor in the upcoming election, slated for Nov. 13. She cited the costs of Central Library and the new indoor aquatic centre as examples of why she’s pledging to curb city spending if elected.
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RPL’s director of finance and strategy Curtis Smith reiterated that this funding is promised in principle, meaning any provision of money still comes back to council for approval at budget time, and a portion of the money won’t be required until 2026.
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