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The number crunching is nearing the final stages as the Town of Gibsons gets closer to finalizing its annual budget.
Director of finance Ian Poole said council is about 90 per cent finished.
He said an exact tax percentage is still being worked on for public release.
"Whatever tax increase we do, or put forth, it has to be justified," Poole said. "And it has to come with a rationale as to what it is we're going to spend the money on. Whether it's to build reserves, or to fund a specific project, whatever that might be."
One important piece of the budget is determining the business tax rate multiple.
"Essentially, what that is, is that residential taxes are always your lowest level of taxation," said Poole. "Then business taxes, the tax rate we charge businesses is always a multiple of that residential base."
Poole said he has been asked by council to look into decreasing the business tax rate multiple even further in 2011.
Other big ticket items in the budget discussions are road works and the construction of the new RCMP station.
"It's an exciting project. Although it's taking a little longer than we would like, we feel it's a really innovative approach to providing our RCMP members with a newer and more efficient building, and at the same time, have it paid for by the RCMP," added Poole. "We're going to lease the building to them, at essentially no cost to the taxpayers of the Town of Gibsons."
Council is still working on details of other budget items, with information to soon follow.
With five meetings held so far and another meeting slated for March 31, Poole is hoping to have the budget completed and ready to share with the public sometime in early April.
As for public discussion methods, council normally holds an open house for the community to share their opinions on the budget process. Poole said that due to low attendance, other forms of communication are also being examined.
