City of Powell River department heads presented a list of staff priorities to council during a recent committee-of-the-whole budget meeting.
Staff organized their presentations under three priorities: asset management; revenue generation; and efficient service delivery. Each of the departments slotted their priorities into one of the overarching priorities.
Stan Westby, chief administrative officer, said asset management affects “every single department, every single entity of the community and, I suggest, every citizen of the community.”
Asset management affects core infrastructure, including water, sewer and roads, as well as recreation services, records management and information technology, he said. “We need to have a huge asset management plan to encompass all of that and give this council and the community a plan as to how to deal with it.”
Revenue generation addresses “taxpayer fatigue,” Westby said. “We hear from residential taxpayers, ‘please do not raise our taxes. Please do not shift anymore taxation over.’”
Efficient service delivery, the third priority, addresses a number of issues, including inadequate resources, Westby said. “It’s chronic throughout the organization,” he said. “I firmly believe we need to be looking at service levels and thinking about what the level of service this community desires, what it can afford and what it can sustain.”
The first priority for financial services is a 20-year capital plan and a 20-year capital funding strategy.
Engineering identified reviewing engineering and development fees, employing stronger contract language and preparing an asset management road map. Development services recommended updating the official community plan and developing sustainability and economic sustainability plans.
Priorities for operational services were maintaining existing infrastructure, marketing the north and south harbours to operate at full capacity and seeking synergies for transit and the airport. Tor Birtig, manager of operational services, pointed out the city has 130 kilometres of water main. “If we were to look at an average lifespan of 75 years, that would mean we would need to replace 1,700 metres per year,” he said. “On average, we’re probably replacing 250 metres. Obviously, it’s woefully inadequate.”
Bill Reid, director of parks, recreation and culture, recommended eliminating non-resident fees at Powell River Recreation Complex as a way of increasing revenue. “Revenues did not increase by projected amounts when the non-resident fees were implemented,” he said. “Attendance actually dropped somewhat in the complex.”
Reid also recommended expanding the Willingdon Beach campsite and pursuing partnerships as other ways of generating revenue.
Priorities for Powell River Public Library included a new library, renewing the collection and negotiating a new collective agreement.
The RCMP focused on crime reduction and facility upgrades.
For a report on Powell River Fire Rescue's priorities, see separate story.
