John Helcermanle) photo

Members of Citizen Task Force on taxation and West Vancouver residents, from left: George Horwood, municipa l director of Financial Systems; Ed Aim, North Shore businessman; Barbara Howard, member of Advisory Planning Commission; John Ross, fourth year student in Economics at UBC, using the study as part of his thesis; Tom Cryer, part· n e r - i n - c h ~ r g e , Touche, Ross & Co.;

Absent: Chuck Connaghan, chairman of the group and vice-president of administrative services at UBC; Bob Berger, business manager-president of the Service Employees International Union.

The task force is charged with examining methods of expenditure and tax levying within the municipality including the school board and police and library boards. The report is expected this month.

The Corporation of The District of West Vancouver

INFORMATION BROCHURE

Pegged Mil/rate Does Not Guarantee Pegged Tax Bill

The prov incia l government's stipulat ion that the millrate for municipal operatio ns be pegged at the 1978 level does not guaran-tee the taxpayer a pegged tax bill.

Taxes are levied o n the true o r market va lue of a property. as shown on the B.C. Assessment Authority's statement to the tax-payer. If that value increases over 1978. taxes will increase despite a pegged millrate.

Also. mun icipal operations is only one section of the total tax bill, as shown in the tab le below. This means 40% of the taxes to be collected are controlled and 60% - school. hospital and B.C . Assessment authority - have no millrate ceiling.

School purposes Municipal operations Other services - sewers. local improvement Other agencies - hospita l, GY RO. etc.

50% 40%

6% 4 %

tOO%

Municipalities have no control over costs of 'other agencies' or schools but are responsible for the collection of their taxes.

Final budgets for these agencies arc completed March 31.

First-draft budget set for council's decision

The provis'onal , o r first-draft budget, is in council's hands for study and fina l decision.

The base- l ine to tal , $ 10.6 mi ll ion (see budget page 3) is the 1979 cost to accomplish the same services as provided in 1978.

This is $700.000 over last year's adopted budget , an increase of 7%.

Council must decide on what supplements (new or expanded services) it will include and what cuts, if any. it will make in the present services. to bring down. the fina l budget in May.

The budget reflects poltcy decisions on rel o cating t he parks/works yard s, computer

hardware to extend systems at munic ipal hall. a new fire pumper and land/planning for a new fire hall in Caulfeild.

It also reflects reduced costs of the Blue Bus system of $345.000 as the result of takeover by the Urban Transit Authority.

EARLY PREPARATION West Vancouver's budget was

drafted last fall and first sho\\-n tO council in January. This was well before the January 8 an-nouncement of the provincial govern ment pegging the municipal operations.mill rate at 1978 levels.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

-est Vancouver M u n i ~ · al News

Message from the Mayor:

I What's Inside:

L

e Budget e Dog control e Tax deferment e Recycling e Rec Centre

Th is is the first issue o f the West Vancouver Municipal News, an infor matio n brochure to serv ice residents of our commu nity. Our ai m is not a 'hot off t he press' venture to compete with the weekly press. Rather it is a forum to explain municipal services available to residents; co unci l p lans and pol icies; advice on such things as cr ime preve nt ion, ta ·{ deferment; our problems with vie\v-b loc king t rees and free-roaming dogs. The M unicipa[ News will be used to continue the policy of reporting progress of the Community P lan and programs at t he Recreation Centre. It will be delivered by mail and should reach every householder in the community. The provisional b udget is the key item in this issue. We ask you to study it a nd send any suggest ions you might have to me. T he budget is not final ized until Apri l 15.

/· ~

2

Council, taxpayers, can rate programs T he 290 page budget, ex-

plaining municipal serv ices. sup-plementary services and capital programs, is a readable and easy-to-underst and document.

It is termed a ·performance' budget, using modified zero-based budget techniques to evaluate tax-payer services and program ac-complishments.

T his contrasts with tradi tiona l budget practise where the em -phasis was on the amount of money spent, not the services provided.

POSSIBLE BUDGET CUTS Each department budget has

five summaries contain ing finan-Cia l a nd ot her in fo rm at ion: department 'overall goals): func-tion (services provided) sup-plements (new or expanded ser-vices); capital projects (pro posed expenditures); service reduct ion analysis (first services to go if budget cut by 15% ).

In the case of possible service re duct io ns. departme nts have been asked to detail reductions eq ua l to 15'-l- of 1978 budgets. T hese ite ms have no t been removed from the provisiona l budget and will require a counci l dec isio n to delete the services.

SUPPLEMENTS LISTED T he municipal manager sup-

po rts all the services presented in

Pilot house site wanted for park

Acquisition of the 4768 Pilot House Road property. the one ob-structio n to a continuo us park trail along the Caulfeild park waterfront through to Lighthouse Park and Cypres~ Creek, has been recommended to council by two commiss ions. Parks a n d Recreation and Advisory Plan-nmg.

Counci l has author ized staff to open negotiations for purchase of the property.

In cl ud ed i n the rec om -mendation was the suggestion to se ll off unneeded park areas to fund the purchase.

T he ho use was fir st used as a residence, then converted to a grocery store. T he present owner wants to 1mprove the property but redevelopment would be difficu lt under p resent zonmg regulations.

T hree years ago Parks and Recreation upgraded the trail system in th is park and planned to extend it to Cypress Creek. At the present time the trai l wanders along the waterfront up to the po int of the Pilot House pro perty. then is picked up again on the othe r s ide to ex te nd on to Lightho use Park.

COU NCIL Mayor

Derrick Humphreys

A ldermen Ann Arnott John Humphries Doreen Blackburn Donald Lanskail

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

this budge t, but p resents them in the form of a lternatives. In this way council and the public can choose those which they feel the munic ipality should provide.

Addi t ional services, shown as supplements in the budget, in-clude:

• One full t ime fi refighter for the ma in fireha ll.

• Additiona l bus routes - West-mo unt area and an exper imental system fo r the British Proper-ties.

• Additional programming fo r sen ior citizen s an d h a n -d icapped.

• Enforcement of dog control by-law.

• Archiva l development. • T ra ining for labour re lations

and review and communicat ion of employee benefits.

• Add itional computer develop-me nt capability fo r several departments

Supplements in the capital program mdude:

• O ne replacement fi re pumpe r. • Replacement of contro l room

recorder and final development

of the train ing ground for the fi re department.

• Ini tia l costs fo r land and pla n-ning for a replacement fi re ha ll in Caulfeild .

• Additional computer hardware to ex tend access to the com-puter to several outside depart-ments and to provide computer capabil ity for develo pment of new sys tem s re q uested by several departments .

• Normal equipment replacement. • Fina l costs for new public

works parks yard. • C o nti n ued e xte n s io n an d

development of the cemetery. • Finalize renovations to the ice

arena. • Initial pla nning fo r health

facilit ies in the Aquatic Centre ; renovat ions to the boiler room which relates to poo r in itia l design.

• Reconstruction of severa l areas of G leneagles Golf Course.

• Preparation and screening of soil fo r parks and public works use.

• 76 sma ller items of parks development and renovation.

• Continued storm sewer and culvert .replacement to a llev iate drai n a ge a nd wate r fl o w prob lem>.

Dogs consider joggers fair game in Wes t Vancounr but thei r chasing days will be numbered after A pril 1 when a po lice-controlled program gets underway. a.verley O londr phoro

Lighthouse Park dog rules eased

Recently Lighthouse Park was signed off limits for dogs not on a leash, to protect the unique wild life and natu ral beauty of the area.

Many residents protested this order. saying their dogs are

Following protests, council referred the problem back to Parks and Recreation Com- _ mission, with a resulting easing of restrictions.

On a tr ial basis for six mon-ths, dogs will be allowed off leash providing they a re under

Robert Hicks Donald McA lister '-------------------------------' k:ept under control . owner control.

• S id ewa l k c o n s t ru ct ion , primari ly for schoo l children's and senior citizens' safety.

• A burning pit to reduce the pollution from burning excess refuse and fencing an area fo r d isposa l of dry materia ls.

CAPITAL ITEMS FINANCED The budget has taken into ac-

count the potent ia l take-ove r of the costs o f the Blue Bus System by the Urban Transit Authority and the reduct ion from $465 ,000 to $ 120.000 in West Vancouver's share of net expenditures.

Tw o m ajo r c on st r uc ti o n projects p ro posed and not in the budget at the present time because funds win be raised interna lly are:

The Senior Citizens' Acti'l'ity Cent re - pro posed for south of the Recreation complex. Pro posal is to fi nance the municipality's share of $400,000 out of existing reser-ves. It is anticipated additional costs will be covered by the two senior governments grants.

P.ublic Safety Building - It is proposed to fina nce the $ 1.9 mi ll ion cost fro m the recovery fro m the disposal of va rious par-cels of unused municipal land based on fro nt -ended long term leases.

Dependent upon the provincia l government's comm it ments of Court facil ities , which is very much unde r discussion, t his capital item is by no means decided yet.

Dog control taken over by police

Enforcement of the dog byla" will come under pollee control beginning April I.

T wo ext ra staff are to be hired and trained and will have police powers whi le on duty for dog law enforcement.

They will be respons ib le for s igning parks to make clear rest rictions o n dogs; c ha rging owners: whose dogs are found in restricted areas, without licence tags, creating a nuisance; p icking up stray or law-breaking dogs to be held at the pound while owners are notified.

The SPCA will continue to be responsible for the shelter and care of pets and stray animals as it has in the past.

T here are more than 3 ,000 licenced dogs in West Vancouver, and with mounting pro tests from residents over dogs creating a nuisance, fines have been in-creased.

Fines range from $1 0 for an un licenced dog to $50 for har-bouring a vicious animal.

A restraining order can be put on a dog that is a nu isance in a neighbourhood . If he is caught off the property in that period, the owner may be fined or the dog or-dered destroyed .

3

West Vancouver's provisional budget for 1979 BUDGET HIGHLITES

The provisional budget for municipal operations, by provincial government decree, must go to council at the first January meeting. Final budget ap­proval deadline is May 15 . • This is West Vancouver's first-time ever performance budget. It links dollars and tax rates to services . • This is first budget to have strong taxpayer input. Ratepayer groups and the task force on tax reform are preparing reports for council before provisional budget is finalized. • 1979 BASE: (budget co lumn No. I at right)

This is cost to accomplish same services as

This $10.63 million provisional budget, first draft, is for municipal operating costs only. It does not include costs for schools, GVRD, Hospital District, B.C. Assessment Authority, Finance Authority, over which the municipality has no control. These budgets are finalized March 31 and added to West Vancouver's final budget.

Summary of Net Expenditures - ($000)

REVISED ADOPTED REVISED 1977 1978 1978

II 1 ¥ 2 1979 PROVISIONAL BDGT. BASE SUPPMT. TOTAL

prov ided in 1978. GENERAL GOVERNMENT:

1979 PROVISIONAL (column No. 2 )

SUPPLEMENTS:

T his is 1979 cost of new or expanded ser-vices - details in each department's budget summary.

BUDGET DOES NOT YET INCLUDE: . •Recommendations of ratepayer, tax task

force groups. • Service reductions options. • Department priorities. (see budget story)

Above items will go forward to final budget after council study and decisions.

BUDGET SCHEDULE

Mayor & Council Municipal Manager Non-Departmental Clerks Finance & Treasury Personnel Systems & Data Proc. Purchasing Planning

PROTECTION: Fire Police Inspections Dog Control Emergency Program

TRANSPORTATION : Public Works Engineering Transit (Blue Bus)

} 818

162 91

261 1,332

1,68~

1,716 64 53

2 3,524

65 128 110 157 331

71 148

82 192

,2'15 1,840

71 53

5

1,038 979 - 275 404 464

72 129 99

161 337

70 142 80

193

],., 782 1 ,878

69 38

5

70 125 107 157 333

70 135

78 186

1,888 1,974

117 55

6 4,040

907 936 280 263 465 120

3

10

15 15

1 44

13

79

70 128 107 167 333

85 150

78 187

1,9&4 1 ,974

117 68

6 4,119

936 265 145

-------------------4 ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH:

2 25 27

1978 OCTOBER: Departments have free hand to ctraw up estimates.

NOVEMBER: Manager reviews ·estimates. More than $2 million cut from initial requests th is year after staff meetings.

DECEMBER: Each department asked to detail reductions equal to 15% of 1978 budget and im plications if carried out. Will require counci l decision to delete these services.

1979 JANUARY: Provisional budget goes to counci l.

FEBRUARY: Input from ratepayer and task force groups; informal meeting of council, manager and department heads to discuss budget.

MARCH: Budget workshop with council.

School, Hospital D istrict, GVRD and B.C. Assessment budgets received. West Vancouver has no authority over these costs but must collect taxation.

MAY: Council approves final budget. Mill rates set. Tax notices sent out to homeowners, business establishments.

Water Supply Sanitation and

Waste Removal

PUBLIC HEALTH & WELFARE: Health & Welfare Cemetery

RECREATION & CULTURE:

3

802 805

688 20

708

Recreation Centre Neighbourhood Recr eation Ice Arena

250 .22 47

147 (9)

644 172

75

Aquatic Golf Parks Maintenance Administration Donation & Grants Library

FISCAL EXPENDITURES : Debenture Requirements Sundry Expenditur es

TOTAL OPERATING CAPITAL EXPENDITURES

GENERAL REVENUES TAXATION

492

1,297 896

2,193 11,844

1,914 13 ,758 (3,932)

(80)

803 723

609 29

63'S 274

19 42

168 (4)

742 155

95 631

1,423 858

2,281 12,550 1,531

14,081 (4,109)

BASE + SUPPLEMENT + PRIORITY ONE CAPITAL

(125)

784 659

608 13

621

271 12 45

144 (2)

722 152

78 635

1,467 807

2,274 12 , 318

1 ,846 14,164 (4,169) 9,995

(114)

803 689

650 17

667

266 23 44

156 (2)

723 159

90 648

1,449 1,123 2,572

12 ,655 1", 716

14,371 (3,902) 10 ,469

10, 635

21

(1) 9 7

12 12

60

166 1 ,241 1 ,407

(114

803 689

650 17

667

287 23 43

165 5

735 171

90 648

2 ,167

1 , 449 1,123 2,572

12,821 2 , 957

15,778 (3,902 ) 11,876

*This includes estimate of increased wage costs following labour negotiat ions, with the ex-ception of Public Works. Sanitation and Water Utility Departments.

'Justice familiarization' program brought grade 7 Glenmore students and their vice-principal, Lloyd Arntzen (third from right, back row) to the court to see law in action- Judge Perry Millar. centre, explains proceedings

after court session and answers questions. Corporal Mike Hooper, right, is community relations officer for police department. Constable Brandon Rowe-Sieeman is at left . John Htlr<rmanao. photo

Volunteers needed at Rec Centre

This is an integrated centre, providing activ ities for all ages from three year olds in gym to senior citizens' fitness programs. These are not rest ricted to physical activi ties, but art and crafts and public interest programs as well.

SPECIAL NEEDS People with special needs are

also in the programs. An advisory committee involving six agencies on the North Shore has been for-med to un ify resources. People with special needs are a part of the total community and should not live in isolation.

LEISURE LIVING This section is one of the busiest

in the Centre. Information and a monthly newsletter available -926-3266.

A Sunday social with soup and sandwiches, followed by en-tertainment, is a new program.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Volunteers with special skil ls

are needed. For example. a retired bustnessman heads the hiking club. taking an average of 18 seniors on walks twice a month.

A retired French teacher holds weekly classes in French language.

Other volunteers teach bridge and crafts. There is a need for volunteer drivers: a driver who wi II take the Class 4 I icence test to drive the Centre's van; someone to help with the monthly newsletter ; a secretary to take shorthand and transc r ibe minutes fo r the program committee.

COU_NSELLING The community health nurse,

Eileen Shockley. is at the Centre the fi rst and third Wednesdays of the month from I to 3 p.m.

Senior counsellor. Grace Schell, is available Mondays from 9 to noon.

Free income tax cl inics will be held for those with a maximum in-come of $9.600. Call 926-3266.

NEW BUILDING In the April issue a feature and

photos on the new senior citizens' building will be carried. The design won an award for ar-chitects Buttjes. Burgers. Sam-marco.

'Give us back our land'

West Van asks government A strong protest has gone to the Dept. of Highways over its plan

to transfer West Vancouver land it owns and is surplus to its needs, to other ministries.

The municipality wants the land back for recreational purposes. In a letter to the Hon. L.A. Williams, elected representative for

this area, it is pointed out that between 1959 and 1973. the municipality deeded 49 acres of land to the province for a nominal fee of $15. It asks similar generous consideration.

The land asked to be returned at a nominal cost for park use is 30.62 acres left from residential parcels expropriated for Upper Levels Highway construction.

RECYCLING THE ANSWER

Cut garbage bulk to ease dump site, m6unting costs

There was a time in West Van-couver when garbage d isposal was a simple operation.

In the 30's, Mr. Christie picked it up in his horse-drawn wagon, co ll ected 15 cents from the householder . and dumped his cargo on the marshy flats of what is Ambleside Park tod\IY·

No more. No one wants a dump site in his community. Costs are mounting to truck it elsewhere. It is a major municipal problem.

In an effort to cut garbage bulk and costs. c,ouncil has approved a recycling program. asking residents to make it work.

It involves a publicity-program and a trial curbside pickup service for recyclable materials. It is being held up until the newspaper strike is over. Here is the situation todav: • We have no dump of our own

and truck waste to the North Vancouver dump which has a limited life span.

• The dump is under attack by the Provincial Pollut ion Board with , a closure threat.

• The alternative dump would be Burns Bog in Surrey. invo lving costly truck ing costs.

• At present it costs S5 a ton to truck the garbage to North Van-couver and an additional $5 a ton fee to use their dump. The most important factor to

cut garbage bulk AND your tax bill is to make recycling a part of household routine. ·

DEPOTS There are two S.P.E.C. depots

open 24 hours, seven days a week. • Recreation Centre. 21st and Fulton. • 6300 block Marine Drive

(near Gleneagles School)

MATERIALS •Paper - firmly bundled .

boxed or bagged - newspapers, telephone books, TV Guides. Weekend, Canadian inserts. No glossy magazines *No plastic

*No foi l •Glass - clean bottles, jars,

glass containers. Metal removed.

o broken glass * No window panes

•Tins- must be clean, open at both ends, flattened. Labels must be removed.

• Rags - any kinds.

One solution for kitchen wastes is a garburetor. Without one, some waste food can be composted, but care must be used not to draw rats to the site. The health authorities recommend a rat-proof container.

Additionally, the municipality is proposing a burning pit, which with a power fan, would have lit-tle or no smoke. It would be used for major garden refuse and other disposable material.

T ox deferment

possible for

homeowners

While property tax notices are not sent out until May, residents who qualify for tax deferment may like to study this plan available to B.C. residents.

For further information, phone the municipal hall, 922-121 I. tax collection department.

In British Columbia, senior citizens (single or married and 65 years of age or over). widows. widowers and registered han-dicapped persons (any age) can have their property taxes paid by the provincial government and at the same time get their homeowner grant as a credit.

The government pays your net property taxes to the municipality and gets the money back. together with 8 percent interest. when the property is sold or it passes on to someone other than the spouse.

The arrangement requires signing an agreement and it must be renewed each year. The ap-plication form is available from the municipal hall. or from the Surveyor of Taxes. Tax Deferment Section. Dept. of Finance. Parliament Buildings. Victoria. B.C.

Once registered under the plan, renewal forms are sent from Vic-toria each year along with a statement of the account.

If husband and/or wife dies. the taxes are not recovered, the arrangement continues between the survivor and the government.

The plan has been in operation for five years but is not widely known. Only one thousand owners are using it, half of them in Van-couver.

The original idea was to give security to pensioners who faced losing their homes because they could not pay their taxes. There is no means test in this plan. anyone meeting the requi rements is eligible.

Panorama extension

Council approved the expansion ~~ of commercial facilities at 'f::l Panorama Estates for restaurant ;;~ and office space, p roviding the ~~~ company reserves a portion of the ::: area for future shopping facilities .§ ~