Every year, the City of Quesnel publishes two important documents: an annual report and the City’s consolidated financial statements. If everyone who contributes their hard-earned cash toward the City’s operations and Council’s strategic aspirations through their property taxes and fees took the time to read these reports, most questions about what the heck Council is doing and what value do I get for my taxes would be answered.
The consolidated financial statements is the legally required public report of the City’s finances. External professional auditors audit the statements each year. Quesnel is fortunate to have a stellar financial team and management staff that garners a clean audit each year and is often ahead of the game when it comes to municipal finance best practices.
The financial statements are challenging to understand, but they show that the City is a $38 million enterprise with a nominal debt, reasonable reserves, and a moderate annual surplus, which is required to fund the City’s capital projects. The majority of the City’s annual revenue comes from property taxes and utility fees, with an increasing amount also coming from grants from the provincial and federal governments. It’s important to note that the majority of these government grants are “conditional;” that is, they must be used for the purpose stated in the grant application and cannot simply be diverted to another use at the whim of Council or at the demand of irate ratepayers who want to see other priorities addressed with this money.
The City’s Annual Report is a lighter read than the financial statements and over the past few years efforts have been made to ensure this is a readable and informative report that can be quickly perused by ratepayers. This graphic-rich report highlights the key strategic priorities and initiatives of the City and provides information about how the City is structured from both a decision-making and service-delivery perspective, what programs and services the City delivers to residents, key statistics about the City’s operations, and highlights of major initiatives from the year. The latter part of this report contains a comprehensive update of Council’s strategic plan and progress to date on that plan.
The 2021 report’s major initiatives include: continued investment in destination development projects, including the installation of branded wayfinding signage along the Riverfront Trail, Phase I of the Bike Park behind the Recreation Centre, and the completion of the planning and successful grant funding for the new RV Park that will be built on the Quesnel River; continued efforts to minimize COVID impacts in both the community and the City’s corporate and Council functions; major capital projects; the City’s housing strategy and related initiatives; “Safer Quesnel,” the City’s ongoing effort to address public safety concerns in the community; and, the City’s climate change and forestry initiatives.
One of the basic tenets of a democratic society is that citizens keep themselves informed so they can make informed decisions at the ballot box. The role of government is to provide transparent and accessible reporting of its activities so that citizens can stay informed. Along with the regular practice of posting agendas ahead of open Council meetings (which anyone can attend), the City provides easily accessible annual snapshots of its finances and operations that ratepayers should avail themselves of if they want to know what’s going on in their City and how their tax dollars are being put to use to ensure Quesnel remains a vibrant and resilient community.
Find the 2021 Annual Report and financial statements online: quesnel.ca/reports
No comments:
Post a Comment