Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz focused on crime in his annual state of the city address on Friday, saying every time a crime is committed, the "reckless" flout the consequences and tarnish the city.

"It's time for a new deal: A new deal on crime," Katz told about 900 people who attended the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce event.

Katz promised to expand CrimeStat, the city's web-based crime-tracking program, to provide more information to the public on crimes including arson, gun crime, stabbings, or aggravated assault, which are not currently available through the system.

The improved system will also allow Winnipeggers to customize their searches for crime activity in their neighbourhoods, not just by police districts, he said.

Katz said it's time to crack down on aggressive panhandling and public intoxication in the city.

He also gave his full support to police use of surveillance cameras in the city, agreeing with a newspaper columnist's assessment that the use of cameras in high-crime areas was a "no-brainer."

However, he said he would wait for a report expected in the next few months before commenting on where the cameras should be or how they should be operated.

In the coming months, city council will examine an "integrated crime-prevention strategy," Katz said, which will include input from aboriginal, faith-based and community groups, and focus on ways to prevent young people from becoming involved in criminal activity.

Changes to water utility in the works?

Although crime was the major focus of Friday's speech, the mayor also touched on other issues, including increasing transparency at city hall by posting all council expenses online. Expenses for the year 2007 for individual wards, the executive policy committee secretariat and the mayor's office are now available on the city's website.

Katz also discussed plans to create an independent water utility board so city water services would become a "real utility," he said, "free from day-to-day financial or political interference, and with a clear, transparent financial relationship that can stand up to scrutiny from the Public Utility Board."

He pledged to do whatever he could not to increase property taxes in the upcoming city budget.

"There are some members of council who may believe it is time to end the freeze and increase our property taxes," he said.

"As long as stones remain unturned at City Hall, I will do everything in my power to freeze property taxes this year."

A recently released "apples-to-apples" study on property taxes by the City of Edmonton showed Winnipeg behind only Surrey and Burnaby for having the lowest property taxes in Canada, Katz said.