Comments re: proposed 2024 Langford Budget

From:

To:
Budget2024

Cc:

Mayor Goodmanson; Keith Yacucha; Mary Wagner; Kimberley Guiry; Mark Morley; Colby Harder; Lillian Szpak

Subject:

Comments re: proposed 2024 Langford Budget

Date:

February 15, 2024 12:40:52 PM

Dear Mayor and Council:

I urge you to find ways to reduce the 2024 budget. I heard Councillor Szpak state that this is an expansion budget, but even expansions can have reasonable limits. I agree with the idea that the city’s dependency on using the amenity fund to reduce taxes should be phased out over time so that those funds can be used as they were intended. However, I caution against doing that too quickly. In addition, a portions of surplus funds from previous budget years should be used in a way that reduces the current year’s tax burden on rate payers.

Last year, when you asked the finance department to find areas to cut, they chose things that bring joy to Langford citizens, like holiday lights. There obviously needs to be a balance. However, as I look over the chart of new budget items (please see attached), I ask that you put several of these initiatives on hold.

In my opinion, the Royal Roads Scholarship should go ahead as it has been promised in the past. However, the innovation studio could be paused, as could the community murals, the largest little free library (I think this will be a maintenance nightmare, to be honest), the home composter program, and the community gardens (and the last two are close to my heart, having been involved in community gardens in several other cities before our move to Langford 20 years ago). The city centre crosswalk and the pedestrian plaza should find grant funding sources outside of tax revenue. As an ebike owner, I struggle to say the rebate program should be paused, but I don’t think this is the right time for city residents to foot that bill. If a grant can be found instead, that would be excellent.

Finally, I urge you to take a critical look at staffing numbers, both in terms of increased positions and increased salaries (outside of the cost of living adjustment). Mr. Dillabaugh said it would be a matter of reduced services for residents, but there likely are some services that are more critical than others. We rely on you to make those tough calls while keeping our taxes at an affordable level. Reducing the property tax by a percentage point or two will be appreciated by many residents. Even better would be getting it down to a single digit.

I have a few specific questions as well, but will hopefully be able to ask them at the next public engagement session.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

R. McClure
Bellamy Rd, Langford

Key facts