Budget - General Fund
That leaves our general taxes, which is proposed to move from $445 to $458. This includes our parks and recreation department, council costs, corporate adminsitration, computers, advertising, legal fees, human resources, planners, property negotiators, finance, purchasing, etc.
Despite the $13 increase, this actually results in more belt-tightening at the Hall. Our contract with CUPE is up soon, and regionally, other contarcts are being settled in the 3 to 4% range. This salary increase will more than eat up the tax increase.
The other significant increase is $400,000 in infrastructure management. The Township's assets of roads, sewers, water mains, bridges, and buildings presently carry a replacement value of $2 billion. It behooves us to take care of those assets so we can extend their life cycles. One only needs to remember back to the tragic bridge collapse in Quebec for evidence of what asset mismanagement can cause. This year, our staff will inspect our assets and enter their information into complex computer software which will help manage work plans and maintenance issues. This is very, very important.
Parks and Recreation is always a popular topic. This year, staff recommends $765,000 in improvements at Willoughby Park, including a grass field ($515,000); a playground in Brookswood Park ($100,000); $315,000 in improvements at South Aldergrove Park (including a $130,000 hockey box); $200,000 for trails in Walnut Grove; $825,000 for McLeod Athletic Park (including a revised estimate of $600,000 for a lacrosse box roof); and an $80,000 portable stage.
One other note in this section, staff have been examining our user fees and bylaw penalties and are recommending that we increase them at the rate of inflation--2%. This means a trip to the pool that costs $4.25 now would cost $4.34 next year. Presently, our user fees make up less than 20% of our revenues, by far the lowest percentage in the GVRD. I'd like to see us slowly move toward 25%.
Despite the $13 increase, this actually results in more belt-tightening at the Hall. Our contract with CUPE is up soon, and regionally, other contarcts are being settled in the 3 to 4% range. This salary increase will more than eat up the tax increase.
The other significant increase is $400,000 in infrastructure management. The Township's assets of roads, sewers, water mains, bridges, and buildings presently carry a replacement value of $2 billion. It behooves us to take care of those assets so we can extend their life cycles. One only needs to remember back to the tragic bridge collapse in Quebec for evidence of what asset mismanagement can cause. This year, our staff will inspect our assets and enter their information into complex computer software which will help manage work plans and maintenance issues. This is very, very important.
Parks and Recreation is always a popular topic. This year, staff recommends $765,000 in improvements at Willoughby Park, including a grass field ($515,000); a playground in Brookswood Park ($100,000); $315,000 in improvements at South Aldergrove Park (including a $130,000 hockey box); $200,000 for trails in Walnut Grove; $825,000 for McLeod Athletic Park (including a revised estimate of $600,000 for a lacrosse box roof); and an $80,000 portable stage.
One other note in this section, staff have been examining our user fees and bylaw penalties and are recommending that we increase them at the rate of inflation--2%. This means a trip to the pool that costs $4.25 now would cost $4.34 next year. Presently, our user fees make up less than 20% of our revenues, by far the lowest percentage in the GVRD. I'd like to see us slowly move toward 25%.