Directors at the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) wrapped up the second round of budget debates on March 8. Among the Round 2 decisions was a key vote on the funding for a new Coast-wide economic development body.
Directors agreed to $300,000 a year, divided up among Gibsons, Sechelt, the Sechelt Indian Government District (SIB) and SCRD areas A, B, D and F based on a 50/50 split between population and assessments. Area E’s portion will be calculated on assessed property value only.
There was an option on the table to pro-rate the first year, but Sechelt director Alice Lutes argued against it.
“I think the first year is going to be the most expensive, getting everything in place, and I don’t want to tie our hands with finance for the very first year,” Lutes said.
“The District of Sechelt is more than willing to support this at $300,000 a year, and up to that for the first year be it a portion, or a full year. I just don’t want to see this flounder over something like the dollar value and how it’s spent, especially the first year.”
There was also a disappointing decision for the Sunshine Coast Seniors Planning Table. The organization hoped to get local governments to agree to a memorandum of understanding on funding of $60,000 a year for three years.
Directors voted instead to advocate with the provincial government to provide funding for the group.
Area A director Frank Mauro, who chairs the SCRD’s corporate and administrative services committee that oversees the budget process, said it was a difficult decision.
“I think the work [of the Planning Table] is valuable, “ Mauro noted. “We have difficulty at the regional district funding this under the current model, I think that’s been very clear and I, for one, will move forward as much as possible on the advocacy on this.”
SCRD chair and Area B director Garry Nohr added that the board’s advocacy efforts would include trying to get a meeting with Health Minister Terry Lake to discuss funding.
At the SCRD board meeting later in the week, Mauro had praise for SCRD staff and the budget process as a whole.
“This has been by for the best round of budgeting that I have seen,” he said.
The SCRD board is expected to finalize the budget at its March 24 regular meeting.
The preliminary tax impacts of the Round 2 decisions for an average $400,000 home range from minus-2.1 per cent for Gibsons to 4.4 per cent for the Sechelt Indian Government District (with both rates applying only to the SCRD portion of the tax bill).
The numbers show no change in Area F and increases of less than one per cent in Sechelt and areas B and D, 1.3 per cent in Area E, and 2.6 per cent in Area A (for a home on the Regional Water Service and paying into the fire service).
Homes on the islands in areas B and F will see a different impact.
The final breakdown on tax rate changes won’t be known until after the ratification vote and the updated BC Assessment numbers are released.
