CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — The City of Charlottetown is getting $23.4 million over the next five years through the federal government’s gas tax fund.
Council recently passed a resolution setting out a five-year capital investment plan for spending that will take it through the 2023-24 year.
Coun. Terry Bernard, chairman of the city’s finance committee, says a bit more than $20 million of that allotment will go towards street resurfacing and rehabilitation although a portion will be spent on wastewater issued, such as liftstation upgrades.
“Before they send us a cheque for gas tax (money) they want to know what we’re using it for,’’ Bernard said. “There are certain things it’s eligible for and certain things that aren’t. So, what we’ve done is we’ve put it into the asphalt budget.’’
That does not mean the city will spend about $20 million over the next five years on street resurfacing and repairs, that’s simply what the federal government will contribute. The figure does not include what the city will spend from its own budget.
The city got an unexpected gift from Ottawa this year of $3.3 million through the gas tax fund after the federal government announced most municipalities would get double the amount they usually do. In total, Charlottetown received $6.6 million in its 2019-20 budget year, which ends March 31, 2020.
And, there is no shortage of projects the city has on its plate that would be eligible for federal money.
The two community rinks, Cody Banks Arena and Simmons Sport Centre, need to be replaced but the city is balancing that need with the possibility that funding might be found to build a multi-use sports and entertainment complex. The city hasn’t said yet whether it will move ahead with replacing the two community arenas regardless of what happens.
The city has also applied for more than $500,000 in gas tax funding to construct a bike and pedestrian pathway that would connect the Queen Elizabeth Hospital with St. Peters Road as part of a multi-phase project that would eventually see the path extended down to Confederation Trail on Mount Edward Road.
