A property tax hike, municipal job cuts, reduction in services across city departments and a spike in parking fees are required to balance Vancouver's 2010 budget, city council heard yesterday.
City Manager Penny Ballem updated councilors on proposed measures for seven departments to create $17 million in savings to bridge a $28.1 million budget gap.
City staff is looking to axe 158 positions by shaving hours from full-time, part-time and temporary workers.
Ballem unveiled a laundry list of service cuts, which includes chopping a medical response unit from Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services, a reduction in street cleaning services, and fast-tracking scheduled library closures among a host of other programs.
"We've worked very, very hard to really focus on what are absolutely core and real-need services that we don't want to impact at all and where are areas ... where we can look at things and see how we're doing," Ballem said.
Taxpayers could be asked to cover the remaining $11 million through two per cent property tax increase.
The city could also generate $2 million in new parking revenue.
"We have had a lot of feedback and this is something council has talked to us about," Ballem said. "We continue to be a bit of a deal in terms of parking, especially in the downtown core, but other parts of the city."
A final decision on Vancouver's 2010 budget is expected Dec. 15.
Dharm Makwana reports for Vancouver 24 hours
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Van Isle
2 years ago
The city has to pay for all
The city has to pay for all that "Lipstick and Make up" for the Olympics somehow. Hey, just wait for the bill to come in for all the policemans overtime during the "Gee-I-really-have-neat-fuzzy-feeling" 2 week party in Febrary.
freebear
2 years ago
Is that what is meant by growth?
Growth in taxes share of income; growth in unemployment; growth in food bank use?
So much for the 'recession' being over eh!
PeteL
2 years ago
If the six turned out to be nine
I don't mind.
I don't mind my taxes going up, but not while the the commercial rates are dropping and I'm paying more than my share.
Yup, the current council is totally in the pocket of the olympic committee and the developers.
What about the roof over BC Place, how does it get paid for asks Meggs? More importantly what about a roof over the heads of those who provide the services to this bloody city. The folks who serve up your coffee and scones as you rush to your morning appointment.
On the day the city handed over the gold plated ceremonial key to the village to olympic committee, I understand the Mayor said something like: "Imagine this land used to be a dirty industrial site and now its a green livable development" or some such nonsense. See the difference between him and the men and women that worked in that dirty industrial site turned out production. They paid their taxes as did the employers and they built city hall with the green everyone earned. Now the only real green is what you need to buy into that unaffordable shithole mold factory.
Like I said, I don't mind my taxes going up, but not at the expense of my dignity, does this council take us for fools? To me this council is done. Anton makes more sense to me than Meggs for pity's sakes.
Cristal
2 years ago
If this is the case, open up
If this is the case, open up your own business. Get a payday loans for your initial equity. Deduce a good marketing plan then operate carefully the business. Prove to them that we can survive this dog-eat-dog world.