Vernon City Hall, located at 3400 30th St. is the site of the 2013 budget meetings. The public is encouraged to attend.
(CHARLOTTE HELSTON / iNFOnews.ca)
January 16, 2013 - 9:32 AM
Council begins a three-day discussion on where to spend the city's money this morning.
The proposed 2013-2017 Financial Plan emphasizes a frugal approach to spending. The city's chief administrative officer Will Pearce says the focus is on saving money and putting dollars back into heavily used reserve funds. A proposed $2 million could come from service reduction, service elimination, and new revenue options, which council will discuss this week.
The plan also submits a 10 year program to increase property taxes at 1.9% per year, a hike that will generate $6 million over the next decade. The funds would be invested into Vernon's aging infrastructure, which city staff say is in desperate need of upgrading.
The meetings begin daily at 9 a.m., with public input sessions timed for 11:30 a.m. The public is welcome to sit in on the entire meeting, but only the 11:30 a.m. time slot is dedicated to vocal input.
Wednesday and Friday are half day discussions, while Thursday is scheduled for the entire day, ending at 5 p.m. The agenda for the meetings is posted on the city's website. Paper copies of the agenda will not be available at the meetings.
—Charlotte Helston
chelston@infotelnews.ca
(250)-309-5230
News from © iNFOnews, 2013