Tomorrow starts of with a 9:00am meeting of Council… and an agenda packed with a number of big items.

The 2012 Operating Budget – a report by the City’s Finance Department outlines details of the anticipated 2.5% tax increase this year, with a focus on the public consultation that was undertaken earlier this year. As with previous years, this review is interesting because it shows the difference between where the public (residents and business) want to see tax dollars allocated and where the dollars actually go. (One example: of the $15m or so that will be raised through the proposed tax increase, over 50% – the lions share – will go to the VPD. But asked about the categories of expenditure that they would be ok seeing reduced… and the VPD is up there as well).

Creation of an Arts and Culture Advisory Committee – the City is proposing to retool the various arms-length arts committees and creating a new over-arching Arts and Culture advisory body. The basis for this proposal is a Council motion from last summer calling for “the establishment of a single advisory committee which would advise on all civic programs that relate to arts and culture.” There’s some consolidation gojng on here – as the new model would see the current Public Art Committee subsumed into the Arts & Culture Committee. However, the other Arts-related Committees – dealing with Civic Theatres, Cultural Infrastructure, and Hastings Park – will remain distinct for the moment.

Restructuring Public Art Funding – Also on the arts file – a motion by Councillor Heather Deal that “requests staff … report back with recommendations for ways to structure the City Public Art Program to stimulate additional investment in public art in Vancouver.

Procedure Bylaw – Changes proposed. One of the most interesting regulatory tools to be found in the City is the Procedure Bylaw – the document that sets out how it is that Council meetings, hearings and other events are meant to be run. If you’ve ever heard one Councillor call another on a ‘point of order’, chances are it’s the Procedure Bylaw that’s being involved.

The City Clerk and Legal Services Office are proposing to update the Procedure Bylaw to include a number of new sections – in particular describing how public involvement in the process can take place (e.g. a single five minute presentation, only one spokesperson for an organization, a two-page or 1500 word written submission, comments to be posted publicly, etc.). According to the accompanying staff report, these are designed to modernize the bylaw as well as provide clarity on procedure… as in the past most of these considerations, where they existed, were identified through less formal means – on the City website, or at the beginning of meetings. The proposal now is to enshrine them in the bylaw. Another suggested plus? Improved public involvement.

Have a look at the report and bylaw changes. We’d be curious to know your thoughts on this new regulatory direction.

Granville Loops – Architects Appointed for Urban Design Review – if you’ve been following the discussion around the Granville ‘Loops’ (Granville and Pacific), you’ll have heard about the plans to develop a series of ‘gateway’ buildings. There have been some interesting designs put into circulation – which have also generated lots of discussion because of their anticipated height and form. With this report, Council is proposing to appointing a series of four architects Mr. Stefan Behnisch, Mr. Peter Clewes, Mr. Walter Francl and Mr. Mark Ostry – to assist with the urban design review.

Other Items 

Other items include a motion from Councillor Andrea Reimer that would seek to raise the issue of campaign finance reform at the 2012 Union of BC Municipalities Annual Meeting and solicit broader support for proposed changes…. As well as a motion from Adriane Carr on the subject of energy company Kinder Morgan’s proposal to increase the shipment of crude oil through the Burrard Inlet. Carr’s motion requests that “Mayor and Council send a letter to Kinder Morgan Canada requesting that the company consult with the City of Vancouver regarding any plans and any application it makes … to expand its Trans Mountain Pipeline and crude oil shipments through Vancouver harbour.”

Anti-bullying

In the afternoon… things kick off with a proclamation for anti-bullying and then move to a discussion of two reports on property taxatation assessments and averaging.

Finally, Wednesday caps off the currently scheduled meetings with Planning, Transportation & Environment in the morning, and a special evening session to hear from members of the public on the 2012 Operating Budget.

Naming Streets

The morning PTE Committee spends a bit of time (2 reports and a PowerPoint slide show) on the subject of naming things. The meeting starts with a presentation by City Clerk Marg Coulson on enhancing public involvement in the naming of civic assets. That cues things up for two reports. The first deals with naming a new block of Smithe Street (to be created as part of the proposed development just south of the BC Place stadium (in the parking lot). The second covers the ‘creation’ of a brand-new street – or at least the labelling of one. The laneway east of Thurlow and south of Melville

Interested in how the City of Vancouver spends money on its public spaces? Or on the broader issues of city finances and budgeting? If so (and we hope that was a resounding “yes” that we heard!), then this opportunity may be for you. It’s the time of year when the city’s ledger gets scrutinized and important decisions get made about what gets funded and what doesn’t.

This year, the City faces a considerable crunch. If it maintains its present level of service then there will be a budget shortfall of over $50 million dollars. These “budget pressures”, in turn, can be offset by increasing taxes and user fees, by making cuts, by reprioritizing expenditures and so on. There are lots of challenging discussions ahead.

This makes it particularly important for people to weigh in on what’s important to them. If public space issues are important to you, then you’ll want to signal that funding for parks, community centres, streets (etc.) is important to you.

The City’s press release on the budget consultations can be found below. You can also check out the main consultation webpage at talkvancouver.com/budget2012.

City asks public for input on budget pressures

The City of Vancouver would like public input on priorities and other initiatives to manage the budget pressures in the City’s $1 billion budget.

A diverse public engagement process with a range of opportunities to provide input is now underway. The public is asked to provide feedback on spending priorities as well as ideas on how to deal with the $52 million in budget pressures, which represent the difference between anticipated 2012 City revenues and expenditures and challenge the sustainability of the City’s budget.

The public engagement process has been adjusted this year to move away from poorly attended information meetings of past years to more online activities, which the public has indicated they favour. An open-house session at City Hall and a City Council public hearing will also be held.

On the web, people can find general and detailed information about the draft budget, participate in moderated discussion forums and take an online survey at talkvancouver.com/budget2012.

A public open house will be held at City Hall on Wednesday, Jan. 25 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the main floor Media Centre. The session will feature a presentation on budget basics, displays and the opportunity to chat with financial staff.

In addition, about 500 residents and 250 businesses will be polled in a formal survey to provide feedback on spending priorities, which services are most important and where the City should make changes, if necessary.

Vancouver City Council will hold a public hearing on the 2012 budget prior to their final consideration and approval of the plan in March. The date of the public hearing will be announced shortly.

Vancouver residents and businesses interested in more information are invited to join the City’s information email list via budget@vancouver.ca

This will be the third year in a row that the Parks Board has increased fees and we think this is too much. Making parks and recreation universally accessible is a mandate in the Parks Board Strategic Plan and we need to uphold this. The Vancouver Public Space Network sees the negative impact the proposed changes can have on individuals and families all over the city and is drafting a letter to the Parks Board voicing our concern.

The public has three ways to express their concern as well.

1) Complete the online survey conducted by the Parks Board

2) Send a quick email to Meg Elliott (meg.elliott@vancouver.ca), the Acting Director of Corporate Services at the Parks Board:
“I am opposed to the proposed increase fees and charges because ____________”

3) Attend the public board meeting:
Monday, November 15th
7:00pm
Killarney Community Centre
6260 Killarney Street

Photo: Eileen Kuettel

This just in from the City’s Budget office – round of consultations on the civic budget. The first open house takes place tomorrow afternoon and evening. More to follow…

City kicks off 2011 budget consultations

The City is seeking the public’s input on prioritizing City spending for the 2011 municipal budget, including a new partnership with Vancouver Learning City to engage people across the city.

For the first time during the budget consultations, the City of Vancouver is working with Vancouver Learning City, a coalition of learning providers and non-profit agencies. Vancouver Learning City will be reaching out to different communities for input on the City budget, with 15 stakeholder consultations planned in October and November.

“This year’s budget process has more opportunities for the public to get involved, more informational resources, and a variety of partnerships with different groups to get the word out,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson. “We’re asking residents, businesses and community groups what they value most about City programs and services and how Council can best prioritize those items going into 2011.”

The City is rolling out a number of activities over the next six weeks to help the public better understand the City’s budget and the kinds of choices Council will have to make.

The first opportunity to provide input will take place as part of Langara College’s 40th anniversary community open house:

When: Thursday, October 14 from 2-7 pm
Where: Langara Community College, main cafeteria
100 West 49th Avenue

The Langara event will feature an interactive game testing participant’s knowledge of City history and budget expenditures, the opportunity to discuss the budget with City finance staff, and opportunities to provide feedback on budget priorities.

In the coming weeks, open houses and information displays are planned throughout the city. The public can learn about how the City budget is spent, current priorities and how the City’s operating budget affects everyday programs and services that citizens value. Participants will have the chance to provide their input on how council prioritizes city spending and discuss the importance of library hours, community centre and park operations, police and fire services, street work, garbage collection schedules and other such priorities.

Other key dates include:

• October 18 - Budget displays mounted at Vancouver Public Library’s central branch and City Hall; budget information booklets distributed to community centres and library branches throughout the city, and posted on the City’s web site
• October 19 - Preliminary budget report goes to City Council
• October 20 - Start of online and phone surveys on budget priorities
• October 27 - Presentation on budget to Vancouver’s multicultural communities
• October 28 - Open house at City Hall
• October 28 – November 20 – Series of community stakeholder discussions including with groups such as Vancouver Economic Development Commission, women, seniors and members of the Disabilities Advisory Committee
• End of November - Report back on public input for the budget
• Mid-December - Final decision by Council on the budget

Information on dates and locations for budget sessions is being finalized and will be available by October 15 at: vancouver.ca