Editor's Note -- Weekly column by Quesnel Mayor Bob Simpson. He can be reached by email here
It’s nice the white stuff came earlier this year than last (remember that green Christmas followed by a 70-centimeter snowstorm starting on Boxing Day?). For those who love the snow, an early season dump gets the juices flowing, the gear out, and the heart racing. It’s a great extension to the ski, snowshoe and snowmobile season for many Cariboo residents and visitors alike.
For some though, the change in the way we get snow causes grief: in “precipitation events” as opposed to more evenly distributed over the season. It’s as much a problem for clearing roads and sidewalks as it is driveways, and with an ageing population it can be a struggle for some to just get around, either by vehicle or on foot.
Most northern communities also struggle, as the cost for snow removal gets higher each year and takes up a larger share of municipal budgets. This is especially tough when we’re losing our industrial tax base and must distribute taxation onto residential and commercial ratepayers.
As Council’s Financial Sustainability and Audit Committee (FSAC) deliberates on a new four year fiscal framework for the City, we’ve had to look at the sustainability of snow removal costs relative to the other cost pressures we face against a declining industrial tax base (we begin to lose Tolko’s tax contribution in 2020). Snow removal costs the City about $1 million each year, or about 6.5% of our annual general tax collection, but it is one of our most difficult costs to budget due to the uncertainty associated with predicting winter conditions and the impacts of a changing climate.
In order to address this uncertainty, Council has attempted to establish a snow reserve to take advantage of the years when we are under the budgeted amount to buffer the years when we have a lot of snow and removal costs exceed the budgeted amount. However, when costs generally increase each year, this process of balancing costs from year to year hasn’t been successful. So, FSAC is discussing whether any general surplus go to a snow reserve until we get a solid buffer in the account.
The other option for Council to consider is adding a specific additional taxation amount to create and maintain a snow reserve at a set balance. This is an approach used by other communities that face the same budget uncertainty we do for this service.
While we deliberate each year about how to budget for snow, Council has always supported maintaining the highest, affordable, standards for snow removal, including budgeting for the clearing of driveway entrances when we have a snowfall that is over four inches. This year FSAC will also be discussing if we add an additional driveway clearing service for those times when we do road clean-up that deposits significant large snow/ice chunks at the end of driveways.
It is important to realize that our City crews maintain almost 150 kilometers of roads and streets within the City limits and many kilometers of sidewalks and trails. The clearing of these roads and sidewalks is conducted in a strategic manner, in accordance with a transparent priority list and set of standards. Please review the City’s snow removal guide to make yourself aware of these standards: www.quesnel.ca/snow
This winter, I hope you’ll be able to enjoy the snow and all the great opportunities our community affords people to enjoy the white stuff close to home (Troll Ski Resort, Hallis Lake, our new trail systems, and the high country). Please know that our City Crews will continue to work hard to make sure our roads, sidewalks, and trails are safe for you to get around on this winter.
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