From the City of Williams Lake:
City Council gave three readings to the 2011 budget and five year financial plan bylaw #2136 at its regular meeting Tuesday evening, and is looking for more public input before it adopts a final budget, five-year plan, and sets tax rates.
There will be a public meeting on five-year financial plan at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 13 in City Council Chambers. All residents are invited to share their thoughts on the financial plan, which includes a detailed 2011 budget and topline projections for the following four years.
Highlights from the 2011 budget include:
3% increase in taxation revenue (equivalent to $330,000) - average in past 10 years is 2.74%
Final distribution of tax rates among tax classes to be determined prior to establishment of the Tax Rate Bylaw
No changes to water and sewer rates
No increase to council compensation for third consecutive year
$421,000 general surplus for 2011
Fixed increases in the 2011 budget include:
Union Contract Wage Increases $150,000
Gibraltar Landfill $83,000
RCMP Contract $85,000
November General Election $25,000
RCMP Detachment Assessment $15,000 (with RCMP)
Debt Servicing $441,000
Total $799,000
2011 Operational Highlights:$200,000 contribution to pavement Management Reserve
Citizen Survey in support of a Service Delivery Review
Increased staffing capacity for Planning Dept.
2011 Capital Highlights:Relocation of Station House (dependant on $375K grant from Province)
Structural Protection Unit (sprinklers) for Fire Dept. (business case)
Paving City-wide ($400,000)
Traffic signal upgrades on 3rd and Oliver StBulk Water Dispensing System
Study for new water production well
Downtown landscaping irrigation
Dewatering sewage lagoon
Fuel Bowser and fuel dispensing upgrades for Airport
Five Year Financial Plan Highlights4% increase per year in taxation revenue through 2010-2015
Increasing paving reserve contributions ($1.6 million by 2015)
Projected annual growth - $200,000
Inflation – 2% annually
Council is not bound by the financial plan projections, and sets a budget each year by May 15.
"We welcome more input on the five year financial plan before we finalize the budget and set the tax rates," says Mayor Kerry Cook. "Please bring your questions, concerns and ideas on April 13 – we want to hear them."
4 comments:
Why wait until Thursday or Friday? Is that to give Scott or Surinder time to tell you what to write?
Thank you for your comment
As I was not at last night's Council meeting - I want to have the time to sit down Wednesday evening at 8pm and watch last night's Council Meeting tape and make some notes for myself and by Thursday morning - I will be in a position to provide my own commentary on the 2011 Budget Debate that took place Tuesday evening
Steve I would not have dignified that comment with a reply. However it raises a question. Does anyone else get the feeling comment #1 and the blogs like them recently are coming out of City Hall....seriously go back and read them. I wonder who could be writing them ....hmmmmm lol.
Anonymous at 8:26pm
Thank you for your comment. I'm aware of some comments possibly coming from City Hall, but I'm not worried about it because unlike Mayor Cook calling people at home because of "bad letters to the editor" in the case of Ollie Martins - "all" input is welcome here - whether that is praise for my blog entries and whether people slam me for what I write here.
What's important is to have that community discussion on various topics and that all input is welcome here. There is no good or bad comments. I welcome all comments
SBF
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