Richmond Review · Page 1
Friday, February 13, 2015
the richmond
Hockey player laces up for Red Bull Crashed Ice competition 17
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City champs Hannah Partridge (left) exemplified the stifling defence that defined the Robert A. McMath Wildcats’ 73-27 victory over the Hugh McRoberts Strikers in Wednesday’s Richmond high school senior girls’ basketball championship final at Richmond Secondary. See Page 28. Don Fennell photo
Councillors drive down Richmond tax hike But Mayor Malcolm Brodie calls plan ‘very short-sighted’ by Matthew Hoekstra Staff Reporter A band of Richmond councillors drove down a looming property tax hike by one-third yesterday, after a split vote decided how to manage the city’s bank account. In a 5-4 vote Tuesday night, the tax increase fell to 1.89 per cent—down one percentage point—meaning the average homeowner will save $16 from a previously planned increase of $47. It was Coun. Bill McNulty who suggested
that one per cent of extra tax—to bolster an account for major projects—be cancelled and the equivalent funds of $1.8 million be drawn from the city’s casino winnings instead. Richmond, which gets one-tenth of River Rock Casino Resort’s gaming revenue, pulled in $21.1 million from the resort in 2014. That’s $6.2 million greater than forecasted by the city. Coun. Carol Day sided with McNulty, saying the city is in good financial shape and it’s time taxpayers get a break. “Maybe it’s time to slow things down a little bit. I feel it’s time to give taxpayers a break,” she said. “Let’s finish building the seniors centre, let’s finish building the pool, let’s finish building the City Centre Community Centre,
and let’s just slow down the crazy train.” Each year council policy lays the groundwork for a budget that maintains services, adjusts for a consumer price index increase and adds an extra percentage point for city reserves. Mayor Malcolm Brodie voted against the idea of a one-time reserve top-up instead of a cumulative tax, calling it a “very short-sighted approach.” “The suggestion to take money from the gaming reserves, all you’re doing—it’s a shell game. What you need to do is increase the amount of reserves that we have. So when it comes time to spend more money on all the various facilities, then we will have that money.”
Trim the 2.89% tax hike to 1.89%? •Yes: Couns. Carol Day, Derek Dang, Ken Johnston, Linda McPhail, Bill McNulty •No: Couns. Chak Au, Alexa Loo, Harold Steves and Mayor Malcolm Brodie
Brodie, who called the budget “bare bones,” said council has approved $120 million in facilities—$70 million of which is coming from reserves, $50 million from a loan. See Page 4
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