qathet Regional District’s (qRD) board of directors have adopted the 2021 operating and capital budgets and 2021 to 2025 five-year financial plan.
At the March 25 regional board meeting, directors unanimously approved the budgets, which it is statutorily obligated to do by March 31 each year.
Electoral Area B director Mark Gisborne said he wanted to say it was a fantastic job and that he very much appreciated having the budget process started a month earlier than typically occurs. He’s hoping for next year’s budget, the regional district can start the process even earlier.
“I’m glad it’s working well in our regional district,” added Gisborne.
According to a qRD media release, the 2021 budget will operate on a total of $25.8 million dollars. This represents a net operating budget for the year of $12.2 million, total capital spending of $11.5 million, and total debt payments and transfers to reserves of $2.1 million. qRD has applied for and has obtained total grant funding of $5 million to assist with many planned projects.
Capital projects planned for 2021 include: continuation and expansion of the regional FireSmart program; continuation of the resource-recovery centre for solid waste at the former Marine Avenue incinerator site in Powell River; completion of the Northside Fire Hall; construction of a covered gathering structure at Shelter Point Regional Park on Texada Island; development of a nine-hole disc golf course at Shelter Point; and construction of a sani-dump station at Haywire Bay Regional Park.
“qathet Regional District recognizes that service excellence starts and stops with our taxpayers,” stated board chair and Electoral Area A director Patrick Brabazon. “We believe our long-term budgeting approach will provide stability in both service delivery as well as overall taxation levels. Once again, the board would like to thank our dedicated staff for the incredible work they do every year to prepare the annual budgets and the five-year financial plan.”
At the regional board meeting, Electoral Area E director Andrew Fall said he wanted to thank the financial staff that pulled the financial plan together.
“It looks like a good financial plan, it’s all done on time, we’ve had some extra revisions and time to look at it,” said Fall. “It’s very good for the future.”
The release stated the five-year financial plan lays out all regional district services, as well as projects identified by the regional board as priorities. The regional district currently provides 43 services to the residents of the region, which includes five electoral areas and City of Powell River. Those services are broken down as 10 regional services, 12 sub-regional or shared services and 21 local services.
According to the fourth draft of the five-year financial plan, the plan as proposed means a 3.2 per cent overall residential tax rate increase in 2021.
