Traffic Light At 1st Road Tax Open House

By Michelle Cyr-Whiting

Just over 20 people turned out during the first hour of the City’s two-hour open house at the Civic Centre this evening to find out about a proposed four-percent road rehabilitation levy.

Some of those who attended tonight said they had been expecting a ’town hall’ style meeting, instead the City had three displays set up with staff there to answer questions directly.

Communications Manager, Christine Russell, says "Over the last five years, in every single poll (of city residents) roads and transportation are the highest concern, so that’s kind of where Finance and Audit are coming from, as well.  We continually hear that roads and road rehabilitation work is a high concern and, so, this is one way for us to let the public know this is a way we’re trying to deal with it."

Councillor Brian Skakun came as a private resident this evening.  "I think people are concerned that:  if you do increase taxes, where’s it going to go?"  But Skakun says, "I’m not sure, at this point, if I’m even in favour of doing what we’re doing.  I want to hear what the public says and, so far, I betcha I’ve heard 90-percent of the people I’ve talked to have been unsupportive of this, easily."

Asked whether this flies in the face of the opinion surveys calling for rehab, Skakun says, "There’s no doubt that roads are a priority, but people are saying cut spending in other areas if you can, shift more money into roads."

City resident, Julie Carew, says she found the open house very informative.  "I did gain new information about how the fund will be set up -- the three different options -- I’m not sure which option I would be more inclined to accept because I need to reflect now on the information that I have and think about something that I can live with."

The information brochure at this evening’s meeting outlines three options:

A.  continue with the current system and fund road reconstruction through borrowing -- which will accumulate debt payments of $235-thousand dollars per year with a term of 15-years and five-percent interest, the interest paid on 2007 road rehab will be $1.76-million dollars

B.  introduce a 4-percent tax increase to raise $2.35-million dollars for a road rehab reserve to fund road projects each year -- interest earned by the reserve between the time taxes are collected and the road projects are funded will add to the reserve

C.  phase in a tax increase to fund a road reconstruction reserve (blend borrowing and current year tax revenue) -- a new road rehab levy may be phased in over two years at two-percent in 2007 and two-percent in 2008.  The 2007 road rehab program may be financed 50-percent by debt and 50-percent by levy increase in 2007 and 100-percent by the levy increase in 2008 and beyond.

For his part, city resident Wayne Mills says he would have liked a town hall format, because he overheard some really good questions being asked, as for the levy proposal, "I’m still not sure which system would be better, nobody really likes a tax-and spend type thing, but I guess I have to make a decision."

The City’s 2nd open house will go tomorrow from 12pm until 1:30 at the Civic Centre, with the final one to be held on Thursday evening from 7pm to 9pm, again at the Civic Centre.

Full details of the proposal can be found on the City’s website at http://www.city.pg.bc.ca/pages/news/roadrehabilitation/

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