Outcome of 1st 2011 City of Quesnel Budget Meeting

Council meets on Budget 2011

Quesnel City Council met for the first time to formally discuss the 2011 budget.

Council held its official public input session, with several delegations making requests:

• A representative from the Johnston Neighbourhood Association asked for: more sewer and water system inspections; continued repaving in the area; more snow removal; and a maintained ice surface at the West Fraser Timber Park. Requests were also made for: a neighbourhood composting project; a neighbourhood speed limit reduction; more traffic calming devices; and dog bag dispensers in Johnston Park.
• The South Quesnel Neighbourhood Association submitted a written request for more paving, park development and a better transit stop near Boston Pizza.
• A delegation of West Fraser representatives urged Council to do all it can to create a competitive tax environment to encourage investment.
• A Canfor representative suggested the City needs to do more to find operating efficiencies and asked for Council to hold the line on taxes while continuing to shift taxation away from major industry to other classes.
Survey sheds light on taxpayer opinions

Council received the results of the 2010 Citizen Satisfaction Survey. Some of the results include:
• 81% rated their quality of life as excellent.
• 60% said they receive good value for the taxes they pay, with 72% saying the City is doing a good job.
• 78% were either somewhat or very satisfied with the services and programs the City provides.
• When asked what people’s top concern was, a poor economy was referred to 30% of the time.
• Regarding service levels, 70% of people asked the City to maintain or increase service levels by increasing taxes (20%) or increasing user fees (50%). About 18% said the City should reduce services to maintain current tax rates.
Complete survey results may be viewed online at www.city.quesnel.bc.ca/Budget2011

The Budget Process

Council received a high level overview of the budget process.
The budget procedure began in November 2010, with department staff preparing a draft budget.
In December, finance staff and senior management reviewed the draft budget; Council received preliminary briefings in January.

Now that the public input session is complete, staff will request Council’s direction regarding tax rates on Jan. 24, and prepare a draft operating budget for Council to review on Jan. 31. That draft budget will be available on the City’s budget web page.

On Feb. 14, Council will review the draft capital budget (capital projects include items such as equipment, paving projects and infrastructure improvements).

Council will deal with a number of other budget items in February, March and April, including:
• Reviewing the five-year financial plan.
• Setting tax rates for the various classes.
• Reviewing early approval lists.
• Determining tax shifting between classes.
• Determining appropriate reserve allocations.

Budget 2011 Points of Interest
• It is anticipated the budget process will be complete in April, with bylaws and tax rates approved prior to May 15 .
• All dollar values in the budget are subject to change and should not be considered final until the budget is approved.
• Council’s ongoing strategic priorities, including West Quesnel Land Stability and the financial sustainability of the corporation, are considered during budget preparations.