City facing “significant” deficit, Rainy Day fund completely drained under Atchison’s leadership

The StarPhoenix reported today that Saskatoon is facing a “significant” deficit for 2009.

And who’s to blame? According to the story, none other than Mother Nature. Too much rain and too much snow has caused water revenues to shrink and snow removal expenses to grow.

That water revenues are shrinking seems peculiar, given Mayor Atchison’s “run your tap at full blast for five minutes” solution to Saskatoon’s lead-tainted water problem.

However, more peculiar is Saskatoon’s snow removal budget. In the past three years, it has been out by well over three million dollars.

Guess what? It snows in Saskatoon. Why hasn’t Mayor Atchison figured this one out?

So how will the city cover this deficit?

In past years, the city has been backfilling Atchison’s perpetual black hole by blowing through reserves. This year, the StarPhoenix reports, it can do this no more:

In 2007 and 2006, the city posted deficits of $1.4 million and $1.8 million, respectively. Last year, the deficit was $1.24 million, officially draining the city's revenue stabilization reserve.

To clarify: Mayor Atchison has burned through the city’s “Rainy Day” fund. This leaves a tax hike as the only solution.

Mayor Atchison is spending more than Saskatoon has. And taxpayers are going to foot his bill.