Parksville city council wants input from residents and businesses prior to budget deliberation meetings in March.
According to a release issued on Feb. 3, the surveyed input will help to inform the City of Parksville’s 2022 municipal budget and 2022-26 financial plan.
The annual budget is part of a five-year financial plan that sets out the services and initiatives and how the city will pay for them.
In 2019, council identified their five strategic plan priority areas as housing, recreation, health care, economic development and community safety. The city is once again asking residents to complete a short online survey to assist council to better understand where residents would prioritize monies to be spent in 2022.
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The survey, available online until Feb. 28, can be accessed from the city’s website (www.parksville.ca). Paper copies of the survey are also available at city hall (100 Jensen Ave.).
Council meetings to discuss the budget will be held in March. Since in-person attendance at council meetings in the Forum is limited, the city will provide a variety of options for the public to be involved.
As well as completing the online survey, residents can also contribute by submitting comments and questions via email to council@parksville.ca that will form part of the public record; by accessing ‘Let’s Talk Parksville’ (letstalkparksville.ca) to learn about the city’s budget process and to ask questions – as the website provides information to help residents and businesses understand the city’s budget process and how tax dollars spent; and by accessing council budget deliberation meetings in March as they will be webstreamed live from the city’s website and archived for future viewings.
Previous year’s municipal budgets and financial plans are available on the city’s website and on ‘Let’s Talk Parksville’.
– NEWS Staff, submitted