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qathet Regional District board to consider parkland acquisition fund

Electoral Area C director Clay Brander recommends taxes be raised for parks and green spaces
qathet Regional District committee of the whole chair Sandy McCormick
LONG OVERDUE: qathet Regional District committee of the whole chair Sandy McCormick said she has no doubt that the public is in support of parkland acquisition. Paul Galinski photo

qathet Regional District committee of the whole wants to get going on the creation of a parkland acquisition fund.

At the committee meeting on Thursday, January 16, Electoral Area C director Clay Brander moved that the committee recommend the board directs staff to increase the tax rate to the regional parks service by the appropriate amount in order to provide $183,000 of funding to the parkland acquisition statutory reserve fund in the 2020 tax requisition.

Brander said 10 years ago the journey began when a request for proposals was issued for the development of a parks and greenspace plan, for the regional district to develop a parks and greenspace system to serve long-term environmental, social and economic interests of the region. He said in 2012, the parks and greenspace implementation advisory committee was created, with the responsibility of overseeing implementation and development of the parkland acquisition strategy, which was subsequently accepted by the regional board in 2017.

“In 2019 the board directed staff to establish a statutory reserve fund in order to provide specific repositories for funds earmarked for parkland acquisition,” said Brander. “That brings us to today.”

The original parks and greenspace plan was accepted in 2010, said Brander. The official community plans in electoral areas A, B, C and D and City of Powell River’s sustainable official community plan have all been updated, everyone one of them involving extensive community engagement, he added.

“One thing common to all of these plans is the concept of preserving for public enjoyment areas of particular biological, recreational, community or historical significance,” said Brander. “Surveys were completed by hundreds of individuals, with 84.5 per cent agreeing there are places in the regional district used for recreation that should be preserved for public use. When asked about the concept of funding the plan through taxation, an overwhelming 85 per cent were in favour.”

Brander said an increase of $3.40 per $100,000 of assessed property value is projected to result in approximately $183,000 of funding for parkland acquisition. Based on the average residential property value of just over $300,000, the increase is projected to cost the average property owner an additional $10.20 per year, he said.

“This has been on the books for a long time now and I feel it’s time to finally make it happen,” said Brander. “It’s part of our parks, recreation and culture strategic priorities.”

Committee chair Sandy McCormick said she thinks it’s long overdue.

“We’ve had overwhelming public support in the creation of parks,” she said. “I have no doubt in my mind that this has the support of the public. It’s time to move forward in the 2020 budget year.”

City director George Doubt said the original report contained a recommendation that the committee recommend Friends of Stillwater Bluffs Society to lead a region-wide public engagement before deciding on any model for parkland acquisition funds.

“Most of the board agrees that the Stillwater Bluffs Society is probably not the group to lead the public consultation,” said Doubt. “My position is that public consultation is still a good idea if we are going to increase people’s taxes. If we are going to have a public consultation directed by the board, it doesn’t have to take years to do.”

He said if that public consultation was done over a short period of time, the regional district would be able to do some of the other things recommended in the many well-considered reports. One of them would be to create a parkland acquisition policy so the public and board would have some idea about what was going to be the use of the fund and how it was going to be directed over a period of time, added Doubt.

“After we’ve created the parkland, what are we going to do with it? asked Doubt. “Who is going to pay after we’ve acquired it, for development, if any, and for the operation and maintenance of that parkland.”

City councillor CaroleAnn Leishman said there is time in the next couple of months to get the word out there to engage the public.

“Maybe we could do an online survey,” she said. “Maybe the public wants more than what director Brander’s memo proposes. Anyone I talk to is in full support of getting on with a parkland acquisition fund.

“I agree we need a policy. Creating the fund and starting to gather that funding in 2020 gets the ball rolling. It gets some money in there and stops us from dragging out heels.”

Board chair Patrick Brabazon said he thinks there is room for consultation during the budget process. He said he thinks the regional district has surveyed and consulted to death over the past 10 years, gaining clear response from the public.

The committee carried Brander’s motion, with Doubt opposed.