The District of Sechelt has approved using $100,000 from its community safety reserve, as well as $37,000 from taxation, to pay for community safety initiatives.
That decision was recommended at a special committee of the whole meeting Jan. 22, and endorsed at a regular meeting of district council Feb. 5, as talks around the 2025 budget continue.
Approved as part of the district’s five-year financial plan was $120,000 to continue downtown private security for 2025. As well, staff were tasked to prepare a report on the cost and implications of converting an existing bylaw officer position to a community safety officer role, and that $7,000 be added to the 2025 budget as a placeholder for that position.
In addition, $5,000 was approved to create and deliver a community safety communications strategy within the 2025 five-year plan and staff was asked to prepare a report on the cost and legal implications of a community safety surveillance camera system as a pilot project.
Mayor John Henderson said he could not support taking money from the community safety reserve to help fund the $137,000 for community safety spending.
"I believe my arithmetic, this is close to at least a 17 per cent increase in our spending, from 2024 to 2025 fund...We're taking funding out of reserves, which disappear as they're spent,” said Henderson. “I just struggle with, one, using reserves, and two, with that level of increase in spending.
"I take no pleasure in this, folks, but it's an extraordinary increase and I think we need to go back and ask our staff to challenge whether we should be funding it from the community safety reserve, because if we need to spend it next year, we won't have that reserve.”
Henderson added, he’s like to see funding for community safety initiatives be paid for by the province. He noted, his overall concern is not about spending money on community safety initiatives, but rather using reserve funds to pay for anything.
“But this is systemic in how we're doing our budget,” said Henderson. “We're relying on probably one-time savings and reserves that, again, make this year look not quite as bad as unfortunately, I think it is."
Coun. Brenda Rowe explained community safety spending is a new line item included in the 2025 budget, so it makes sense there would be an increase in cost.
“Any money we spend is going to be, no matter where it comes from, more than was spent last year,” said Rowe. She pointed to previous council discussion on "narrowing the focus on some target areas, coming up with some definite things with some metrics that we can measure."
"We are still in a trial period for this," said Rowe. "I think if we do another year and collect some hard data, then if we do have to tax for that service, it's easier. It's, something we can take to the community.
"Generally speaking, in theory and philosophically speaking, I agree that if something's costing us money, it should be costing us money. But I think there's also something to be said for piloting things and trying to limit the impact to the taxpayer.”
Also approved was a 3.95 per cent increase to sewer use fees and six per cent increase in septage fees, which were also included in the five-year plan.
Other items endorsed or recommended at the Feb. 5 meeting include, that a contribution of $75,000 to Connect the Coast be referred to regional budget discussions for 2026, and $100,000 for consultant technical support budget be approved.
Meanwhile, operating expenses approved include: Structured Query Language Server Upgrade, $10,000, Adobe upgrade, $15,000, GIS mapping enhancements, $15,000, and airport storage, $3,500.
At that same meeting, the larger RCMP parking lot project and the fuel pump replacement at Sechelt Airport were deferred to the 2026 budget for consideration. It had been proposed that a new secure RCMP parking lot be built with a separate, secure police vehicle parking compound with a secondary egress and controlled access at the cost of $800,000.
Henderson also asked council if they should be reconsidering the district’s spending in light of the recent threat of trade tariffs from the U.S.
“We have issues of affordability, which I spoke about in the committee of the whole and also the potential impact of tariffs, both potentially on revenues and on our expenses. I think our economics situation is difficult for many,” said Henderson. “Councillor McLauchlan mentioned the empty storefronts on Cowrie, and I certainly believe there, unfortunately, are more coming. So, I think we need to challenge our assumptions again and look for ways to save money.”
Henderson added he doesn’t believe the district is putting enough money aside to adequately fund infrastructure and he’d like to see the three per cent dedicated to those projects raised to five per cent. He then made a motion to direct staff to provide options to reduce spending on operational items by $2 million in 2025, "along with the impact, if any, on service levels and identifying areas of risk from the possibility of tariffs, with such report be provided not later than our RC meeting on March 19, 2025." The motion was not carried.
