Locals will have a chance to weigh in at a town hall meeting Nov. 12 on a draft capital budget plan totalling more than $19 million. District of Squamish council received the draft capital budget at the Committee of the Whole meeting on Tuesday (Nov. 3).
In order to best assess the capital priorities, top level staff members were invited to present their case for each high-ticket item.
The most expensive item, with a price tag of $2.5 million, is an all-weather artificial turf for Brennan Park. Next on the list is a landfill project, which would need $2.22 million dollars, and the annual paving program would require $1 million.
Gardner said it was important for everyone to be present so all understood how individual project funding could be affected by other capital projects.
"We have all of our leadership here," said Mayor Greg Gardner. "And that was a conscious decision."
Staff presented councillors with the scope of each project, how much funding the project would need and where funding might come from. Only the medium and high priority items were discussed.
Chief administrative officer Kevin Ramsey said the information is being provided to council to ensure a well-thought out decision.
"We're quite hopeful that where we are today is a point where we've narrowed things down for this council to make a decision that is based on some very good qualified information," he said.
Easing into the monumental task of sifting through the list, Ramsey began by leading council members and attendees through a series of slides illustrating the basic principles of capital funding.
Capital funding is allocated for tangible assets, like buildings, which have a typical life of 20 years or more. The general capital fund (totalling $14 million in the draft budget) is separate from the water fund and the sanity sewer fund.
The largest financial capital funding request within the sanitary sewer and water utilities fund was $2.03 million for infrastructure along Government Road running from Mamquam Road to Garibaldi Way.
A request for $1.42 million from the water fund was requested to replace the Boulevard pump station. Also, $720,000 was requested for the Thunderbird/Boulevard pump station to Tobermory. All three of the most expensive projects within the water fund and the sanitary sewer fund have been deemed a high priority.
Financial services staff also presented council with a list of tentative project expenses the department estimates will become issues of concern within the next five years.
The 13 potential projects include water metering, municipal hall and a $12 million upgrade to the Brennan Park Recreation Centre for a second sheet of ice.
In total, it was projected that the district will have at least $48 million worth of projects within the next five years.
The public is invited to attend next district town hall meeting on Thursday (Nov. 12) in the Eagle Eye Theatre to discuss the capital budget. The meeting starts at 7 p.m.
