Follow the funds
The city’s 2012 operating budget shows that general government eats up 13.92 per cent, protective services 32.99 per cent, roads 15.20 per cent, recreation and culture 16.76 per cent, and fiscal service and debt charges 13.32 per cent.
Debt servicing by 2015 will be $18 million per annum. Long term debt will be approximately $115 million.
The city’s solution to this problem seems to be to try and cut services, and increase service costs, sell off assets, like the swimming pools, Civic Centre, Pine Valley Golf Course, and raise taxes and utilities.
In addition to city and other government taxes, we get increases from utilities like Hydro, ICBC, Ferries, airport improvement fees, and government services. What effect does this agglomeration of taxes and service charges have on the average citizen?
As an example, what effect does the 7.5 per cent carbon tax on gas and diesel have on local citizens because of the increased cost of transportation to the trucking industry, and therefore increased cost for consumer products?
When talking about the Pine Valley Golf Course, the mayor and Coun. Albert Koehler state that we shouldn’t be in the golf course business, and we would be better served to sell off this land to commercial use, and increase the tax base. However they fail to mention the PG Golf and Curling Club gets a $143,000 tax exemption every year, and is going to get a $800,000 upgrade to its clubhouse, compliments of P.G. taxpayers. That I would say puts us into the golf course business. So why ostracize Pine Valley who pay their own way and schmooze PGGCC who operate on taxpayer largesse?
Bylaw 7556 was recently amended so that the proceeds from the sale of all city lands in Prince George would go to the land reserve fund, and then annually transferred to the capital projects fund.
The money from the sale of Pine Valley, $17 million to $20 million, plus other land sales will be used for capital projects, and not used to reduce debt, upgrade roads, or other utilities, or hold the line on taxes.
What capital projects do they need this money for?
Mayor Green implies that funds could be used for projects that do not have a dedicated funding source (such as park acquisitions). I suggest to you that after the next election, and after the Winter Games, that the money in the capital projects fund will be used to fund the River Road dike project, which hasn’t gone away, and the Performing Arts Centre. These projects could then be funded without going to a referendum or an AAP.
Keep your eye on the money.
Eric Allen, Prince George