Williams Lake city council will begin deliberating the 2018 budget by the end of February, said Chief Financial Officer Vitali Kozubenko this week.
“We will decide what capital projects we will implement and if we need to borrow money or do we need to raise taxes,” Kozubenko told the Tribune.
Council has asked staff to come back with a zero per cent tax increase, but the City cannot do that forever, Mayor Walt Cobb said, adding, he thinks “we’ve trimmed the turkey to the bone.”
Cobb noted there has been criticism the City is not meeting inflation, but said he doesn’t agree.
“If you look at the efficiencies we found in the last three years, plus what we’ve increased in assessment, I think we have kept up with inflation,” he explained. “We haven’t gained anything and we haven’t caught up on some of the things that were left behind in the past, but we know where we are at and the only way we can spend differently is to start cutting services or laying off staff and if you lay off staff that means cutting services.”
If the City needs to increase its spending it will most likely have to increase taxes, he said.
This week Cobb learned first hand how to use a new online budget tool the City purchased in December in an effort to encourage residents to become more engaged with the city’s finances.
Citizen Budget is being used by other communities in the province and is accessible by computers, smartphones and mobile devices.
Typing the value of his own home into the program on Kozubenko’s computer at city hall, Cobb then scrolled up on the screen where two pie charts showed him exactly where his tax dollars are going.
“I think it’s a good tool, and I hope it helps get more people interested in the budget,” Cobb said. “Year after year we have open council meetings and encourage the public to come and tell us what they want and hardly anybody attends.”
So far 18 people have used the program, Kozubenko said.
“There is a question and answer portion where people can say whether they want taxation increased or decreased,” Kozubenko explained. “And there’s a place where people can send feedback to mayor and council, but I haven’t seen any comments yet.”