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City of Powell River council briefs: Citizen Budget; Capital funding; Cannabis store

Citizen Budget City of Powell River Council has approved the Citizen Budget online engagement tool to go online from November 2019 to February 2020.
City of Powell River
Powell River City Hall

Citizen Budget

City of Powell River Council has approved the Citizen Budget online engagement tool to go online from November 2019 to February 2020.

At the Thursday, November 7, council meeting, council voted in favour of using the Citizen Budget online simulator to facilitate public engagement regarding the 2020 to 2024 five-year financial plan.

According to a staff report, Citizen Budget collects valuable information from residents to influence the budget decision-making process. The report states that Citizen Budget is informative and will increase awareness about the city’s budget and commitment to public engagement, transparency and accountability.

Consistent with prior years, the balanced budget module will be used, which challenges participants to develop and balance their version of the city’s budget.

Capital funding

Council voted to authorize $360,000 to be borrowed from the Municipal Finance Authority for the purpose of funding select 2019 capital projects.

The projects include the Agricultural Land Commission remediation of the Hemlock Loop property, software upgrades, parking meter replacement, design and renovation of lower city hall and a parks master plan.

The original request had been for $375,000 but the remediation project came in $15,000 less than expected.

Cannabis store

Council voted to support the application for a cannabis retail store at 4670B Marine Avenue. This would be Powell River’s first privately operated legal cannabis store. The city’s first legal cannabis store is operated by the province.