How important is the new Harry Jerome rec centre, and how high should taxes be?
Those are the questions the City of North Vancouver council is grappling with as they prepare to rank the city’s programs in order of importance.
Council voted unanimously Monday to approve a draft plan that – if approved – would raise taxes 3.4 per cent. The tax hike would include one per cent for Harry Jerome, one per cent for city infrastructure, and the remaining 1.4 per cent for the city’s operating budget.
One aspect of the city’s budget that may require greater scrutiny is the $1.1 million allotted to nine community agencies. The bulk of that money – $717,000 – is earmarked for North Shore Neighbourhood House while $155,000 is set aside for the Silver Harbour Centre.
Many of the agencies address similar issues including social isolation, the effects of dementia, transportation needs, and increased homelessness, noted Coun. Linda Buchanan.
“These are agencies that are all addressing the same issues and I’m just wondering if we’re putting $1.1 milllion on top of giving tax exemption, what kind of feedback we get around that money,” she said.
Buchanan requested a report giving more detail on outcomes achieved by the various agencies.
While Coun. Don Bell supported the draft plan, he expressed “some concerns” about continuing to fund Harry Jerome.
“I thought we should be under that 3.4 per cent, somewhere around 2, 2.5 per cent as a tax increase,” Bell said.
City council has voted to apportion approximately one per cent each year since 2013 for Harry Jerome, bringing the total set aside to $1.65 million. If the 2017 draft budget passes muster with council, the city would have about $2.1 million in reserve for the languishing rec centre. That money would allow the city to borrow approximately $18.5 million over 10 years, $32 million over 20 years, or $43 million over 30 years, according to a city staff report.
While city staff recommend against it, council could decide to put off the payment for Harry Jerome, dropping the tax increase to 2.4 per cent, according to a staff report.
Recognizing the city was “besieged by snow again this evening,” Coun. Rod Clark inquired about replenishing the city’s snow removal fund.
North Vancouver has spent $580,000 salting roads and plowing snow this winter – not including last weekend, noted city engineer Douglas Pope. In 2016, the city spent less than one-quarter of that sum: approximately $134,000 on snow removal, according to Pope. While the city usually adds $75,000 to their $300,000 extreme weather reserve at the end of the year, a greater expenditure may be required this year, according to city staff.
If staff’s draft budget is approved, the city will have a $70.9 million operating budget in 2017, up from $68.4 million in 2016.
The biggest expense would be a $537,000 hike in salaries and contracts, including higher wages for city workers. The city’s contract with the RCMP would cost an extra $326,000 in 2017, going from $9.74 million to just over $10 million.
With the North Vancouver Recreation Commission budget rising to $14.56 million, the city’s share is expected to be an extra $311,000 in 2017. The increase has been attributed to the new Delbrook rec centre and a dip in fitness membership revenue. However, the city is anticipating a $700,000 increase in taxes from new growth.
Some of the new items in the 2017 budget include $162,500 for new positions, including a civilian communications strategist for the RCMP, two new technicians and a transportation engineer who was previously funded from engineering projects.
Council is also being asked to pony up $17,000 to pay their share for a new, full-time administrative position for North Shore Rescue.
Couns. Craig Keating and Holly Back did not attend the meeting.
