Property owners in Lantzville will not see their taxes go up this year.
Council voted unanimously in favour of a zero per cent tax increase, taking the new financial plan to third reading. Fourth reading and adoption are expected at the next council meeting on April 5. Members of council commended each other for their efforts and praised staff for reaching zero per cent at a time when Canada’s consumer price index was up 5.2 per cent in February over the previous 12 months.
Coun. Jonathan Lerner said: “Zero per cent sends a message that we genuinely care about the tough times that people are experiencing financially right now. I am very thrilled to be working with this council because I see a scenario where we came together on a budget where not everyone got everything they wanted and not everyone got nothing that they wanted. We all worked together.”
The annual operating budget for Lantzville, a village of 3,800 north of Nanaimo, is set to come in at slightly more than $3 million. Its preliminary budget carried an 11 per cent tax increase.
Every municipality in B.C. has been sharpening pencils to parse through preliminary budgets. Some contain double-digit property tax increases. They must submit their financial plans to the province by May 15.
Nanaimo is looking at a 7.3 per cent increase this year. In the city of 100,000, more than half of its tax increase is going to public safety issues. With two shootings this month, social disorder is a key concern.
It took a long time to complete budget deliberations, Lerner said.
“Zero per cent doesn’t mean zero is happening. There’s a lot happening in this budget. There’s a lot happening in the community and I look forward to seeing it come to fruition.”
Coun. Ian Savage said: “This is a budget of the people and this puts residents’ interests as priority one.”
It wasn’t all about cutting. Road infrastructure contributions rose this year, Savage said.
“In fact, every reserve fund for infrastructure is the same or has been increased so that’s the other side of this. We’ve had very healthy contributions to infrastructure yet we’ve kept it to zero.”
Everyone on council was responsible for a variety of cuts, he said. “Coun. [Joan] Jones going through meticulously and reducing some $2,000 here, $3,000 there. It all adds up. Coun. Lerner and Mayor [Mark] Swain all came up with great ideas to reduce it down to where we are now.”
The extensive list of spending reductions include removing extra bylaw officer hours, reducing office equipment and supplies, cutting planning consulting fees and professional development costs. A road network and traffic plan, and a parks master plan were cut for now.
Savage said he is looking forward to restructuring of municipal finances. He wants to see income from non-tax sources increase, noting the village has approved increases to its development cost charges. “There’s a whole list of things we can all work on over the next year.”
Mayor Mark Swain said: “Council spent a lot of time rolling up their sleeves to undertake this exercise and for three new councillors to go through this process is not easy. It’s a steep learning curve.
“But I do think we have to make sure we do keep our eye on some of the other things that are also important to making sure our community remains healthy.
“So it is not always the zero per cent tax increase — we still have to look at making sure things are properly funded as we move forward. But I have confidence in this council.”
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