The Nanoose Bay Residents Association is urging the Regional District of Nanaimo to prioritize capital spending to bring down projected tax rate increases.
The group appeared as a delegation at the RDN board on March 1 to express their views about the high taxes and also provided recommendations on how to reduce them.
Rudi Widdershoven said they appreciate the time and effort the RDN spent in reducing the rates for the district hospital, bringing it down to 21 per cent from 28.2 per cent and they are hoping the same mindset will be applied when the board adopts the amended five-year financial plan.
The RDN has been working to find some cost-saving measures to bring down the projected rate increases. Since the last financial plan that was presented on Dec. 10, 2024, the latest tally shows the total tax requisition of $95,492,520, a nine per cent increase of $7,901,528 from 2024, which is slightly less than the 9.2 per cent projected increase for 2025 in the 2025-2029 financial plan.
The NBRA acknowledged the RDN's effort to reduce close to $200,000 in taxes in 2025, but Widdershoven cited, the RDN had a surplus in excess of $15 million last year, about $5.6 million than what was originally projected and planned at the end of 2024.
The NBRA is asking the RDN board to prioritize major spending by removing capital projects other than required infrastructure beyond the current five-year financial plan. Projects like the Ravensong Pool, the parks land acquisitions, the new administration building, the new transit centre and the like, Widdershoven suggested "will need to wait."
Electoral Area G (French Creek, San Pareil, Little Qualicum, Englishman River) director Lehann Wallace said the budget is a very complex one and that the board with each one having different needs for their respective communities, find it difficult to understand what the NBRA considers not mandatory infrastructure.
Wallace ask the association for a list of the projects that NBRA feel contributes to the $200-million capital expenditures that they feel should be taken out of the financial plan.
Electoral Area E (Nanoose Bay) director Bob Rogers said the board consists of 19 people, with each having different definitions of needs and wants.
"As a board, we do need to have some input with respect to those who appear as delegations to give us an idea of what they think needs to be removed from our financial plan when we're looking at removing a significant amount of capital over the five year period," said Rogers.
Wayne Stark of the NBRA said funding the hospital ($600 million) and major RDN utilities infrastructure ($295.8 million) are massive expenditures that are critical and needed in the region. It will lead to more taxes that residents will have to endure, he said, unless the regional district prioritize major spending.
"Because those are so huge and unprecedented in the history of this region, we're saying take a breath," said Stark. "And everything else, even though they may be needs of the community, desires, just need to be shifted in time."
How the tax rates impact each electoral areas depend on the services that the RDN provides, which vary in every jurisdiction. The RDN provides 114 different services, with 48 services, such as Wastewater & Solid Waste Management, Regional Parks, Regional Growth Management and Transit, shared among multiple member jurisdictions.
The RDN will continue to adjust and improve the budget based on recommendations made by the board. The amended financial plan will be finalized and adopted on March 25.
