Powell River residents want to see a tax reduction, and for the city to focus on the basics including water, roads, and sewers.
That’s from the results of an online survey which council reviewed on Wednesday, along with hundreds of comments and suggestions from residents how their tax dollars should be spent.
Councillor Trina Isakson suggested options for cuts to consider when reviewing a second budget draft later this month.
These are not meant to be items that we will do,” she said during council’s Committee of the Whole meeting on February 4. “My intention is for staff to include these changes as options to consider in relation to draft two.”
Some suggestions were based on the survey results, including cancelling the Zunga bus, cutting funding for one RCMP officer, and reducing pool hours.
Her motion to formally pass the list on to staff did not pass; however, she said the goal was to point out some areas where spending could be reduced, based on feedback from the public.
Council has directed staff to prepare a budget draft that would only increase taxes by 5% this year. An earlier draft proposed an increase of 13%.
Council will review the next draft at its February 27 meeting.
