02.17
Tomorrow, Whistler residents are invited to attend an open house with council discussing the 2009 budget. The budget process is something that is very important to the residents here in Whistler. It’s important to show the local government that you live here and you have something to say about the way this town is run.
I’ll be attending, so if you see me, say hello.
When: Wednesday, February 18, 2009 from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm.
Where: Whistler TELUS Conference Centre (4010 Whistler Way), Mountainview Room
This is the second open house. The first one was in early January. I’ve decided to pull the Frequently Asked Questions directly from Whistler.ca to clairify what’s happening tomorrow.
A separate handout including tentative Council and community meeting dates has been prepared and will be available on the website: www.whistler.ca.
The Community Charter in British Columbia, the provincial legislation which governs the way municipalities operate, requires municipalities to prepare a five-year financial plan to be adopted annually by bylaw. The municipality’s Financial Plan Bylaw and Tax Rate Bylaw must be adopted and submitted to the Ministry of Community Services prior to May 15, 2009.
Once adopted, the financial plan is in effect until it is amended, and it may be amended by bylaw at any time. The Community Charter does not allow municipalities to budget for a deficit.
Normally, the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) formulates a detailed budget for the current year and summary for the next four years. Given that the 2010 Winter Games period overlaps with the 2010 budget process, the RMOW is preparing detailed budgets for both 2009 and 2010 this year.
How can residents stay informed about the 2009 municipal budget process?
The municipality is committed to ongoing communication with residents. Residents can stay informed by:
• Visiting the municipal website: www.whistler.ca.
• Attending Council meetings. All major Council decisions about the budget take place at public Council
meetings. Meeting schedules and agendas are available at www.whistler.ca;
• Participating in future public meetings and presentations, which will be advertised on the municipal website
and in the local newspapers;
• Participating in a moderated online discussion about the budget at www.whistler.ca. This discussion will be
live from mid-January to mid-February 2009.
• Participating in the community telephone survey about the budget.
What is the Five-Year Financial Plan?
When people refer to the municipal budget, they are referring to the Five-Year Financial Plan.
Each year Council reviews the priorities and goals and for the upcoming year and directs staff to prepare a comprehensive five-year financial plan, as required by the Community Charter. The five-year plan reflects the municipality’s continuing effort to provide the highest quality of service in daily operations and local governance consistent with the priorities and strategies identified by the Whistler 2020 Comprehensive Sustainability Plan.
What is the Long-Term Financial Plan?
The Long-Term Financial Plan (LTFP) sets overall policies, which inform and support the formulation of the current Five-Year Financial Plan.
Whistler’s original Long-Term Financial Plan with a ten-year vision was completed in 1999. In October 2008, the RMOW formed a volunteer steering committee comprised of financial experts from external organizations and the RMOW to update its Long-Term Financial Plan.
The Long-Term Financial Plan Steering Committee members were carefully chosen for their demonstrated expertise in finance. Each occupies a position of leadership in a business setting, whether it be in managing a large financial institution (the CEO of Vancity is one of the LTFP committee members) or participating in Whistler’s business community (the president of the Whistler Chamber of Commerce is on the committee, although not representing the WCC). Members all have a demonstrated history and connection with Whistler.
LTFP Steering Committee members include:
• Peter Adams, Partner, Victoria Consulting Network Ltd.
• Jamie Bruce, Partner, Capital West Partners
• Bill Cox, Partner in Charge, BDO
• Ken Dobell, Board of Directors, VANOC
• Fiona Famulak
• Allan Neilson-Welch, Principal, Neilson-Welch Consulting Inc.
• Scott Riley, Branch Manager, Royal Bank of Canada
• Tamara Vrooman, CEO, Vancity
• Ken Melamed, Mayor, RMOW
• Bob Lorriman, Councillor, RMOW
The committee has been meeting to review the current and future economic situations that Whistler faces, and to establish guiding principles and policies to guide staff and Council in the development of the annual Five-Year Financial Plan. The Long-Term Financial Plan will provide a forward-thinking, long range overview and set of priorities on which to base financial decisions and plan for continued economic sustainability for Whistler.
When will the Long-Term Financial Plan be completed?
The Long-Term Financial Plan will be completed in March 2009 and will be presented to the public at that time.
What do municipal taxes pay for?
Municipal taxes play an important role in financing municipal services, such as the provision and maintenance of roads, sewer and water systems, police services, fire department, bylaw enforcement, city planning, a portion of transit operations and much more.
Why did we have a tax increase in 2008?
Total 2008 residential property taxes increased by only 1.5 per cent over 2007 thanks in part to a reduction in the provincial tax rate, or the school tax. The reduction helped offset the 5.5 per cent increase in the municipal portion of residential property taxes, which was largely due to a $2.2 million loss in revenues resulting from a provincial change in assessments for strata hotel units.
A budget that would have achieved a status quo level to that of 2007 would have meant a 14.5 per cent increase in the municipal portion of residential property taxes. Council worked to implement a blend of cuts, no new services, freezing department budgets, and operation reductions to limit the tax rate increase to 5.5 per cent to compensate for the loss in revenue.
What are the regional trends in municipal taxes?
The following are average regional increases in municipal taxes relative to Whistler:
2006 2007 2008
Whistler 1.9 % 2.1% 5.5%
GVRD + SLRD
(Greater Vancouver Regional
District + Squamish-Lillooet
Regional District)
4.48% 5.34% 4.82%
What is the hotel tax?
The provincial Resort Municipality Tax Transfer Program transfers, by agreements with resort communities, a percentage of the Provincial Hotel Room Tax (HRT) generated within a resort area to a designated resort body for the development of tourism economies. The goal is to finance new or improved resort infrastructure and services to increase the number of visitors to these resort regions.
In 2006, the RMOW was successful in working with the Province of British Columbia to secure incremental revenue from the hotel tax—previously two per cent of the hotel tax came to resort communities and this was increased to six per cent. Other B.C. resort communities also benefit from this new tax arrangement.
In 2008, the RMOW received a total of $11 million in hotel tax. Hotel tax funding fluctuates with hotel tax revenues.
How can municipalities raise money?
Legislatively, municipalities are allowed to raise money through property taxes or fees and charges charged on services and developments.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Updated information about the municipal budget and a moderated online discussion will be available on the municipal website: www.whistler.ca.