|
I would like to use this
column to acknowledge and thank all of the organizations and businesses
that contributed to my campaign to raise funds for emergency homeless
housing. I received very generous donations from Revelstoke Rotary Club,
Kokanee Glacier Challenge, The Revelstoke Credit Union, Remax
Revelstoke, Revelstoke Property Management, Vic Van Isle Construction,
City Council, Revelstoke Mountain Resort, Community Futures, and we even
had one anonymous donor pitch in for this worthy cause. In total
approximately $8000.00 was raised and is being dispersed through the
Community Foundation to people who are in a real crisis situation. If
anyone would like to participate in this project please call Brian at
827-7612.
This is also the time of
year when Council and staff deliberate on the 2008 budget and five year
Financial Plan and of course property taxes. We spend a lot of time
looking at the different types and levels of service the City provides.
A good example this year is snow removal. This past December, although
in the previous 2007 fiscal year, snow removal costs were $387,000 - one
of the most expensive months I can ever recall. This put last year’s
actual snow removal costs at just over a million dollars. This creates a
problem when we only had $620,000 in the 2007 budget for this purpose.
We now have to make up for that shortfall as well as predicting how much
we will need in the 2008 budget. We also have to keep in mind that for
every extra $55,000 spent, it results in approximately a 1% increase in
property taxes. Spending an extra $380,000 on snow removal means almost
a 7% increase alone. This is only one line item we are dealing with. We
also have an increasing workload at City Hall as the community gets
busier which creates pressure to add staff with the necessary
expenditure for this. However, any new construction we see this year may
take another 1-2 years before we realize any increase in tax revenue
from it. Needless to say, preparing the budget is always a difficult
process and one that all staff and Council do not take lightly. There
will be a lot more discussion as well as a public process as we get
closer to finalizing the budget.
Council received a letter
advising us that this year is the 40th anniversary of the Snowmobile
Club. I don’t think I have to tell anyone how important the snowmobile
industry is to our City. I think it is important to acknowledge the role
many individuals and the Club has played in building, supporting, and
promoting snowmobiling in Revelstoke. I know the industry over the years
has had good support from City Councils, the Regional District, and the
Provincial Government. But you only get that kind of support when you
prove to be good stewards of the industry and the environment, and this
Club has shown that time and time again. Congratulations to everyone
involved over the past 40 years and we are looking forward to the next
40 years. Of course, we are also looking forward to all of the upcoming
Club events planned for the middle of March.
Mayor Mark McKee
|
