The City of Parksville open council meetings to discuss the 2022-26 financial plan have now concluded.
A release issued on Tuesday, April 5, by the city’s communications manager read that council actively sought input from residents via three public meetings in March and invited feedback both through an online survey and correspondence.
“Each year the city creates a five-year financial plan which outlines how resources will be allocated to achieve council’s identified strategic goals in a fiscally responsible manner,” read the release.
Parksville council sets the rates for property tax and water and sewer services during the annual financial planning process.
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At the March 30 meeting, city staff were directed to prepare the Five-Year Financial Plan and Tax Rate Bylaws maintaining the three per cent increase in property taxes, plus a 0.5 per cent increase for contribution to the capital reserve fund; as well as to prepare the Five-Year Water Fund Financial Plan Bylaw and Water Utility Rates Bylaws and the Five-Year Sewer Fund Financial Plan Bylaw and Sewer Utility Rates Bylaws, both with a three per cent increase.
The 2022-26 financial plan and tax rates bylaws will be considered at the regular city council meeting on April 20. Property tax notices will be mailed to residents and businesses in May.
“City staff works extremely hard to provide our residents and businesses with good value for property taxes. I’m
proud of staff’s ability, despite inflation and rising costs, to achieve this level of tax rate,” said Mayor Ed Mayne.
The city’s referred to financial plans and spending packages can be viewed at www.letstalkparksville.ca, where staff presentations from the March meetings are also available. Council meetings are also archived on the city’s website (www.parksville.ca) via webstreaming.
– NEWS Staff, submitted