The third and final round of budget talks are done at the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) and residents will see an average tax increase of about 13.2 per cent. Services previously targeted for cuts, however, have been saved.
"I thought it was really excellent in terms of the fact that we made some serious decisions in round two," said board chair Donna Shugar. "We got some feedback from the public and we came back and had some very deep discussion. I think staff rose to the occasion and came up with some extremely creative ways of bringing things back."
After hearing an outpouring of concern about a reduction of hours at the Gibsons pool, SCRD directors worked with staff and found some funds to allow the pool hours and programs to remain at their current levels.
Ice pads will remain in at SCRD arenas until May 24, thanks to an agreement with Sunshine Coast Minor Hockey and the Sunshine Coast Skating Club. Both groups voted in favour of shouldering 75 per cent of the facilities' operating costs and agree to cover any debt the arenas incur over that time.
Both groups are now scrambling to organize spring programs and plan fundraising activities to cover the costs while the SCRD will make the ice available for pick-up hockey and public skating.
Plans to eliminate the SCRD's second HandiDART bus have also been adjusted, seeing a reduction of the second bus's schedule to only four days a week. On the remaining three days, the bus will be available for group charters.
All these changes mean the SCRD will have to lay off fewer employees.
The tax increases for each electoral area are in. However, the numbers are subject to some minor fluctuations as SCRD staff re-crunch the numbers next week.
The increase in the SCRD portion of residents' taxes breaks down by area as follows: Area A (Pender Harbour) - 5.4 per cent - $46; Area B (Halfmoon Bay) - 7.8 per cent - $99; District of Sechelt - 29.3 per cent - $117; Sechelt Indian Government District - 29.5 per cent - $16; Area D (Roberts Creek) - 11 per cent - $121; Area E (Elphinstone) - 8.2 per cent - $98; Town of Gibsons - 15 per cent - $98; and Area F (West Howe Sound) - 13.1 per cent - $100.
The SCRD found itself forced to raise 2009 taxes or introduce "deep structural cuts" for a number of reasons, according to Shugar and John France, chief administrative officer for the SCRD.
"We went into 2008 with a $297,000 surplus and we're going into 2009 with a $273,000 deficit, so there's a big swing," Shugar said.
A number of factors played into the SCRD's costs, including higher than expected operating costs at the Sechelt Aquatic Centre and the Gibsons and Area Recreation Centre being in its first full year of operation. There were also changes to SCRD staff pay and benefits from a collective bargaining agreement that was finalized last year with the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union. SCRD directors' salaries have remained frozen.
The SCRD has also seen a massive decrease in revenue from tipping fees at area landfills and a massive drop in construction permit fees. Both can be attributed to the economic recession, according to France.
France said the SCRD will be paying close attention to the budgets and operating costs of all its functions this year, anticipating another difficult budget season in 2010.
The budget is expected to officially pass at the March 26 board meeting.
