April 10th WL Budget Mtg Agenda
Present - Chair I. Bonnell with Councillors Bourdon, Hughes, Rathor, Walters, Zacharias and Mayor Cook (6:23pm)
Staff - Geoff Goodall, Acting CAO & Pat Higgins - Director of Finance
Meeting called to order at 6:12pm
The Director of Finance reviewed the following with Council:
a) updated budget numbers with a request to increase the legal budget by $50,000 for 2013
b) 2013 BC Assessment numbers for the City of WL by property class
c) historical property taxation numbers
A Question and Answer period ensued...
Council then reviewed two taxation scenarios
a) 0% tax increase with and without a 1% tax shift
b) 3% tax increase with and without a 1% tax shift
Motion:
"That no tax shift occur in 2013"
Yes - Councillors Bonnell, Rathor, Hughes and Bourdon
No - Mayor Cook and Councillors Walters and Zacharias
Carried
Council also asked for a report to come forward based upon tonight's discussions
Council finally reviewed an item from the Director of Finance concerning municipal recreation/non-profit tax rates.
Next meeting - Wednesday, April 17th at 7:00pm in WL Council Chambers
Meeting adjourned at 7:46pm
Editor's Note - If I was Heavy Industry and I learned that my tax mill rate is possibly going up from 103.22 per $1,000 (0% tax increase) to 106.55 per $1,000 (3% tax increase) - I probably would be phoning members of WL Council and requiring them to explain why they are preparing to do this, given Kamloops Council just lowered the mill rate for heavy industry in 2013. Almost a certainty that Williams Lake will, if this is fully approved, have the most highest tax mill rate for Heavy Industry, certainly surpassing bigger jurisdictions like Prince George and Kamloops. Like it has been said before - the City doesn't necessarily have an revenue problem but a spending one that a future Council(s) will need to get a hold of. Management salaries would be one way to get a control on costs. If we don't - I don't see how we'll see capital investment in Williams Lake, both for the business sector and the heavy industry sector with skyrocketing heavy industry tax mill rate and an increase to the business class mill rate
-- SBF
1 comment:
I'm not with you on this one Steve...
When I take a look at SOFI statements from all around I see the Managers in WL are compensated at par (or less) with just about every other city out there, including those in the North. Should we be paying our managers here less than anywhere else?? Are they not also entitled to a fair comparable wage? As you know the easiest way to lose good people, or not be able to attract them, is to pay poorly.
With 100+ unionized workers perhaps the City should have allowed the workers to stay on strike longer and looked for some cutbacks in wages there?? Seems they do pretty well....
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