The Squamish Downtown Business Improvement Association (BIA) is the first successful BIA-led petition in the province, having more than surpassed the required 50 per cent support to survive for another five-year term.
Robin Arthurs, District of Squamish corporate services general manager, announced the success of the applicant-led petition process and verification of the petition signatures at the District of Squamish council meeting on Tuesday (April 5). The approval gives the BIA another five years to enliven and enhance the downtown core.
"Yahoo!" was the immediate response from Coun. Bryan Raiser.
"Out of 137 parcels, the BIA received approval from 79 parcels, representing 58 per cent of the parcels," said Arthurs.
"That represents 78 per cent of the assessed values."
After the announcement, the council audience burst into applause.
"It feels fantastic but we had a lot of people rally to support us," said BIA executive director Christine Bennett.
"It was a huge effort on the part of the community and even people outside the community - it feels great."
Financial analyst position 'critical'
With just over a month for the district to finalize its 2011 budget, Squamish residents are facing a 2.9 per cent increase after some budget revisions presented and discussed on Tuesday.
"This is an updated list of the 2011 operating increases that includes a list of adjustments resulting from new information and correction of errors," said financial services general manager Joanne Greenlees. The budget also included suggested measures aimed at reducing the increase and updated non-market change information.
With Greenlees' suggested measures, there could have been a 2.13 per cent effective overall municipal tax increase, but council wasn't willing to approve all her suggestions - namely reducing the $1 million offset from operating to capital and deferring the hiring of a financial analyst until 2012.
The most significant reduction requiring adjustment was the contribution to equipment replacement fund, which was reduced by $132,500 after a recent review of the reserve.
The Non-Market Change (NMC) put forward by B.C. Assessment in January showed a 2.2 per cent increase - adding $357,000 in new tax revenue. However, B.C. Assessment's revised increase was 2.4 per cent and because of a change in the values between rate classifications, there was a $22,000 decrease in expected new tax revenue.
NMC refers to the amount of change in the assessment base that is attributed to growth, new construction and new subdivisions. It does not include general market-driven price changes to the previous year's property assessment base.
The most significant correction and increase item was an error in revenue budgeted for the Strategic Community Investment Funds, which was overstated by approximately $350,000.
Greenlees suggested four options to help mitigate the effects of those errors, which would have resulted in a 2.04 per cent increase (in addition to the 2.8 already proposed at the town hall meeting on March 29).
The first option was to decrease the offset from the 2010 operating budget to the capital budget from $1 million to $900,000. Council was divided on the issue.
"Our general borrowing over the years concerns me," said Coun. Doug Race. "This isn't sustainable and my first choice would be to increase the offset.
"We can't continue to borrow three or four times what we're paying back."
While most councillors agreed in principle with Race, they thought a move in that direction should wait until the strategic financial plan was completed.
Councillors Rob Kirkham and Paul Lalli wanted to approve Greenlees' suggestion to reduce the offset to $900,000.
"We've already hit our taxpayers pretty hard this year with utilities going up 15 per cent and we shouldn't segregate taxes from utilities because it all comes from the same pocket," said Kirkham.
"The total increase, with utilities and the $900,000, is a 5.4 per cent increase."
Race made a motion to maintain the $1 million offset and it was carried, with Kirkham and Lalli opposed.
The second option was to fund this November's municipal election, the long-term financial plan and the insurance appraisals for $112,000 from the 2010 budget surplus. To accommodate those future activities, Greenlees suggested budgeting annual contributions to a reserve specifically for non-annual but re-occurring items, starting with $19,066 in 2011.
"It will be drawn on when required to smoothen the effect on taxes," Greenless said.
The option was supported and carried unanimously.
The final option to defer adding the financial analyst's position was not supported by council members.
"What I heard during the budget presentations made it clear this position is critical," Coun. Corinne Lonsdale said.
"I really believe we have been falling behind in the financial department and I feel guilty about neglecting it for so long."
"I believe we need this position and special knowledge is required," Kirkham said.
Race suggested reducing the $70,000 for the position to $50,000 because the district likely wouldn't manage to recruit the position until halfway through the year.
The motion was carried unanimously.
Only SSC funding scaled back
Five community organizations presented budget requests to council in the past two months -Tourism Squamish, the Visitor Information Centre (VIC), Squamish Sustainability Corporation (SSC), the Squamish Municipal Library and the Youth Resource Centre.
SSC was the sole applicant to receive less than its $170,000 request, which was already scaled back from its original request of $190,000. Instead, council agreed to provide the same amount as 2010 - $151,000.
Council members were divided about whether to invest more money into revamping the building or scale back SSC's role to nothing more than Adventure Centre landlord (see page 1 for full story).
Council approved $84,000 to Tourism Squamish for general operating, as well as 100 per cent of the hotel tax collected by the Province on behalf of the district.
Council approved $109,000 to the Chamber of Commerce to operate the VIC, located inside the Adventure Centre. That amount will allow the centre to stay open later to match the hours of the building and allow employees to attend a new training program.
The amount requested is more than the revised 2010 budget but the same as the 2009 budget. That's because last year the VIC cut back employee hours to decrease the amount being sought from the district, which led to confusion when tourists entered the building but found no visitor information person there to help them.
The Chamber's five-year contract to operate the VIC expires in February 2012 and Cameron Chalmers, community services general manager, said when that happens the district "will look at re-evaluating the entire structure of the building."
The Squamish Library and the Youth Resource Centre both received their requested amounts.
Paddling club amount increased
The Committee of the Whole recommendation to allocate $15,000 from the Squamish Legacy Sport Fund to the Squamish Paddling Clubhouse expansion project was re-addressed by Coun. Bryan Raiser, who made a motion to amend the amount to the requested amount of $25,000.
He said that, unlike the other requests, the Paddling Club was only asking for a portion of the actual project's cost, and made it clear that he thought "whittling down" every request to come before council was a bad habit.
"Basically we're telling groups to pad their requests because we'll never give organizations the amount they truly need," he said.
"The paddling club has already raised $10,000."
Kirkham seconded the motion, reasserting his position about the club requesting a discounted price. Race was also supportive.
Councillors Paul Lalli and Corinne Lonsdale were vehemently opposed, with Mayor Greg Gardner leaning in the same direction. The amendment verdict fell on Heintzman, who changed her vote from the Committee of the Whole and voted to amend the amount to $25,000.
The motion to allocate $25,000 to the Paddling Club was carried with Lalli and Lonsdale opposed.
