After many hours of work and meetings, the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) has finalized its 2011 budget.
The overall increase in taxes for this year is 3.79 per cent, which is up slightly from 3.58 per cent after round two.
The taxes break down by area as follows: 1.7 per cent for the Sechelt Indian Government District, 2.5 per cent for Area E (Elphinstone), 3.2 per cent for Area A (Pender Harbour/Egmont), 3.5 per cent for Area D (Roberts Creek), 4.4 per cent for the District of Sechelt, 5.6 per cent for Area F (West Howe Sound), 5.9 per cent for the Town of Gibsons and 7.3 per cent for Area B (Halfmoon Bay).
Remaining the same were the percentages allocated for services, based on the $28.7 million operational budget, with 34 per cent attributed to recreation and cultural services, 19 per cent for water and waste water, 11 per cent for environmental services, 10 per cent for transportation services with planning, protective services, general government and health services making up the balance.
Specific items and plans were highlighted for various communities, including new fire trucks for Gibsons and Halfmoon Bay. Long range plans to be funded include the completion of the integrated transportation study, developing a water master plan, a parks and recreation master plan, and finalizing the long awaited solid waste management plan. Additionally zoning bylaw updates and new official community plans for areas B, D and F should be finalized by the end of the year.
Another area that will be funded will be the illegal dumpsite inventory. Illegal dumping has become a big issue on the Coast and the SCRD has taken necessary steps to deal with it. Alternatively, 2011 will mark the last year of the bathroom fixture replacement program.
Plans to earmark surplus funds to pay for repairs needed at the both the Sunshine Coast Arena in Sechelt and the Gibsons Aquatic Centre remain the same.
As identified in the strategic plan, the SCRD developed a financial sustainability policy. This comprehensive policy includes strategies to set affordable taxation levels in relation to the services provided. The policy also includes statements and strategies related to growth, increasing demands for service, new services or enhancements, and building reserves.
"We are going to look at a Coast-wide regional sustainability plan and try to bring everything together, every kind of sustainability issue under one umbrella, consistent with what municipalities are doing," said chief administrative officer John France. "The board and staff have worked very hard to balance the service needs of the community versus the affordability of those services. It was a long and involved process to get to where we are. I think they're created a sustainable budget."
Boar chair Garry Nohr said that although his district of Halfmoon Bay "took a hit this year," he felt everyone worked hard to keep the numbers down and basically they did quite well.
