Prince George, BC – City staff were directed to deliver a budget that nails the tax increase to 3.12-percent this year and City Councillors will hold their first public budget discussions later today to begin to examine what that means for each department.

In January, the City announced nine jobs were being cut and another 19 vacant positions would not be filled to trim $2-million dollars from its expenditures. (click here for previous story) 

Today in the first budget session that begins in Council Chambers at 3:30pm, Director of Corporate Services, Kathleen Soltis, will provide an overview of the 2012 financial plan, which details a balanced operating budget of $186.2-million dollars over the City’s six departments. 

 above information from staff power point presentation for this afternoon’s budget session

Of the City’s three operating funds – general, water, and sewer – general covers the bulk of services the city provides, including police and fire protection, general government, transit, snow control, and bylaw enforcement.  Protective Services make up the bulk of the city expenditures (32-percent last year).  This year the proposed budget for police protection is $21.5-million dollars, while fire protection is set at $13.7-million out of the provisional budget of $104.1-million dollars for general operating expenditures.

Soltis says 1.67-percent of the proposed tax increase, plus an estimated $575-thousand dollars in new construction revenue, is needed to maintain core services at last year’s levels and fund the city’s contractual commitments (including an increase in excess of five-percent in pensions and salaries to RCMP, approved by the federal government).  

This year’s budget does not include any service enhancements.