Quesnel Budget Survey Results

Courtesy of the City of Quesnel:

Editor's Note -- this week's Quesnel Council Column is written by Quesnel Mayor Bob Simpson.  He can be reached via email here

Council is legally required to formally consult with the public prior to approving the City’s annual budget and establishing the property taxation needed to achieve that budget. Over the years, numerous methods have been used to meet that obligation, and, more importantly, get meaningful and informed feedback on the City’s programs and services, as well as the proposed capital and operating budgets. Unfortunately, as much as people say they are concerned about their taxes, we’ve not found a way to truly canvass and discuss those concerns with ratepayers prior to setting new tax rates. Well advertised meetings and town halls did not work, as the turn out to these events was always very small and the feedback often limited to whatever the issue of the day happened to be. Four years ago, the City started to gather information from an online survey that showed a positive trend of engagement and reasonable numbers of people participating, up until this year. This year’s budget survey saw just over a hundred self-identified City residents participate in the process, down from a high of over 400 people. This is still a higher participation rate than in-person meetings, but the downward trend is disappointing. Nevertheless, the information obtained by Council from those who did take the time to fill in the survey and provide commentary is important and will be considered in this year and next year’s budget deliberations. Overall, the respondents indicated they were ‘very satisfied’ or ‘somewhat satisfied’ with the City’s services and programs, with only 4.2% stating they were ‘dissatisfied.’ The survey participants indicated that they’d like to see more emphasis put on road and bridge maintenance and RCMP, along with a greater focus on emergency preparedness and mitigation. The commentary at the end of the survey suggests that the currently compromised Johnston Bridge may have skewed the respondents’ emphasis toward ‘road and bridge maintenance.’ However, the repair of this bridge is beyond Council’s budgetary discretion, as it cannot be repaired without voter assent through a referendum. Residents will be provided with a more detailed review of the status of the Johnston Bridge in the coming months that will clarify both the options for the bridge’s repair and the ways that it might be funded. Survey respondents also indicated to Council that they’d like to see the City continue to improve parks and amenities, including trails, and pursue zero waste and climate change initiatives. However, the top of mind issues appear to be housing and neighbourhood/business area planning – affirming what Council is hearing from the public on a daily basis. Housing is already a focus for Council and we’re hoping that this year we’ll see a breakthrough on both new market and social housing developments. Council has also approved two neighbourhood planning initiatives that the public will be able to participate in through our new “Let’s Connect” engagement tool. letsconnectquesnel.ca This year’s budget survey also asked City ratepayers if they would support being taxed directly for more senior’s services and more social programs. In both cases the majority of respondents indicated they were open to this kind of direct taxation; however, more consultation is needed before any incremental taxation occurs for these services. Council’s Finance Committee appreciates the input from those who took the time to fill in this year’s survey and will include the insights gleaned from the survey in the formulation of the City’s operating budget, which will be presented to Council (and the public) in the coming weeks.