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When Saskatoon’s new city council meets for the first time Wednesday, business groups will be listening.

Cynthia Block, newly elected mayor promised to host a lively business group session to work on goals and strategies during his first 100 days on the job.

The Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce and the North Saskatoon Business Association (NSBA) are waiting to see how things play out.

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“Now that the voters have decided and the decks have been shuffled, we need to take a look and see what we’ve been dealt,” said Chamber CEO Jason Aebig.

House members had a chance to meet with the candidates before the election, so they have some insight, but it will be interesting to see if the new board is more or less on the same page on certain issues, a he declared.

Aebig warned of “leaky bucket syndrome,” in which a community attracts new businesses but struggles to maintain them.

“It doesn’t really produce economic growth. It seems good because businesses are opening their doors, but no one is paying attention to the losses on the other side.”

Members are interested in any initiative that helps increase the business tax base, he said, noting that crime and safety have become a hot topic for business owners.

The bottom line is trying to make things attractive and affordable for businesses to set up shop in Saskatoon, Aebig said.

One of the first hurdles the council will face will be revising the budget mid-year, he added.

“I think we should all be quite patient and friendly here, because these especially the new elected officials will receive a four-inch D-ring binder containing budget and account information. And they will potentially have to make some decisions mid-cycle if they believe budget adjustments are necessary.

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Keith Moen, executive director of the NSBA, said any change in the City Council is an opportunity for new ideas and potential increased collaboration.

He said businesses share many of the same concerns as residents, such as vandalism and break-ins.

“They are increasing and are clearly a problem for the business community,” Moen said, adding that the resulting costs are either passed on to businesses or their customers.

Taxes and user fees are also a concern for local businesses, he said.

Moen was vocal during last year’s budget negotiations, saying more cuts could have been made to avoid a property tax increase.

“That’s why we’re excited about the new council, because, frankly, we were frustrated with the previous council, especially at budget time, because we thought they could have listened a little more carefully to some of the things what we said.”

He questions whether new council members will fully understand the situation when they tackle the mid-year budget review, calling it an unfair test to apply from the start. He said he still supports the council trying to make savings.

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“I guess the good thing is that it’s a mid-budget review, rather than a full budget review and process.”

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