They were moderate in dollar value, but there were six project cuts from 2025 budget proposals made by the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) area directors at the Round 1 budget session.
Elected officials spent over six hours in their second public meeting aimed at 2025 budget formation on Nov. 28. (Some spending plan commitments were recommended at a pre-budget session earlier in the month.)
This week's recommendations require board approval. Finalization of next year’s budget is currently slated for Feb. 13.
Community partner requests
The directors recommended sharing just over $1.2 million with six community entities, after the requests for the majority of their community partners were addressed at pre-budget.
In Nov. 28’s decisions there was a recommended grant to the Pender Harbour Health Care Centre for its operating fund request, but deferral of the centre’s ask for capital for building repairs to a Round 2 meeting in January.
Other grants the committee gave the nod to were for the Skookumchuck Museum, Sunshine Coast Community Services youth program, Sunshine Coast Search and Rescue, the Gibsons (Unit 14) Marine Search and Rescue and Gibsons Public Library. The library is set to receive the largest grant of the six up for review, at just over $929,000.
Recommended as "off" the budget ask list
Proposal cuts began with taking three projects off the 2024 carry-forward list. Those were an investment attraction analysis for the Hillside Industrial Park ($90,000), Coopers Green Park Hall parking design planning ($40,389) and work on the Lower Road retaining wall ($578,341).
New projects that were on the table for 2025, but the committee voted to deferred to 2026 included water service climate change resilience analysis ($90,000), commercial food-growing farms policy ($85,000), and Curran Road wastewater treatment plant modifications ($91,000). Those deferrals had been recommended by staff, as there were doubts they could be completed due to heavy demands on staff time.
Some recommendations and more debate to come
The committee said “yes” to 49 budget proposals for next year. Most significant of those was to budget $416,000 for leak repairs and concrete reservoir maintenance within the Chapman water system. Addressing permit requirements for the siphon systems at Chapman Lake and Edwards Lake was recommended with a budget of $235,000. Water supervisory control data acquisition (SCADA) upgrades at treatment plants, pump stations and reservoirs were supported by the committee for a 2025 budget allocation of $362,230.
There were 21 asks that the committee deferred to Round 2 discussion, including a number related to water services and to compensation for firefighters in the four (Gibsons and District, Roberts Creek, Halfmoon Bay and Egmont) local departments under the SCRD’s jurisdiction. Directors reviewed a related report but made no decisions on the exact nature of and dollar values associated changing compensation models for volunteer membership.
What is the projected property tax impact?
As the meeting opened, acting chief administrative officer and chief financial officer Tina Perreault provided an overview that included a “what if” estimate for an overall 7.73 per cent property tax increase to cover 2025 SCRD services. As parcels in each area pay for different ranges of regional services, that “what if” scenario estimated 2025 rates would increase the most in Area A (Pender Harbour/Egmont) at about 10.8 per cent and the least in Area E (Elphinstone), at about 5.61 per cent.
She noted that those percentages and other 2025 budget numbers are far from final with more information to come in Round 2 debate, which is scheduled for Jan. 13. Details on the 2025 budget proposal and the spending plan approval process are available on a dedicated SCRD "Let's Talk" page.
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