CITY OF VANCOUVER SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES JANUARY 30, 1997 A Special meeting of the Council of the City of Vancouver was held on Thursday, January 30, 1997, commencing at approximately 7:30 p.m in the Auditorium, John Oliver Secondary School, 530 East 41st Avenue, Vancouver, B.C, for the purpose of hearing delegations on the 1997 Operating Budget: City Choices. PRESENT: Mayor Philip Owen Councillor Don Bellamy Councillor Nancy A. Chiavario Councillor Jennifer Clarke Councillor Alan Herbert Councillor Lynne Kennedy Councillor Daniel Lee Councillor Don Lee Councillor Gordon Price Councillor Sam Sullivan ABSENT: Councillor George Puil CITY MANAGER S OFFICE: Judy Rogers, Deputy City Manager CLERK TO THE COUNCIL: Tarja Tuominen COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MOVED by Cllr. Bellamy, SECONDED by Cllr. Herbert, THAT this Council resolve itself into Committee of the Whole, Mayor Owen in the Chair, for the purpose of hearing delegations on the 1997 Operating Budget: City Choices. - CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY 1. 1997 Operating Budget: City Choices City Council, on December 10, 1996, approved a public information and consultation process to be used in developing the 1997 Operating Budget. The public process included an information flyer, a public opinion survey conducted by the Angus Reid Group, and the Mayor's Forum series of community group meetings. The Special Council meeting was part of the City Choices public consultation program and was arranged to hear from the public on how to deal with the budget shortfall. The Mayor called for speakers and a total of 37 speakers addressed Council. Michael McCoy, Gastown Historic Planning Commission (brief filed), felt an 8 1/2% tax increase would not impact too severely on most area residents, however would on many area businesses. The Commission does not support cutting areas such as the Heritage Branch in the Planning Department; the Public Safety budget; and far-sighted programs which will result in long-term savings from budget cuts, for example, mandatory sprinklering, continued strengthening of code and regulations, and "seed money" for worthwhile programs. There must be areas in which improved regulations and stricter enforcement will result in more economical ways of doing things. Warren Gill, Fire Department Advisory Committee, urged Council not to cut fire suppression services. This is an opportunity to address the coordination of emergency medical services with the provincial government. Bryan Williamson, Vancouver City Planning Commission (brief filed), noted the Commission's brief identified several short term recommendations and the following two long term ones: explore structural shifts in taxing and spending in high-cost areas of education, health and transportation to uncover efficiencies; and work with senior governments to determine which services are appropriately funded by property taxes and which by income taxes. Jim Siemens, Family Court/Youth Committee, urged Council to continue to fund social services agencies. A decrease in funding of those services may mean a rise in costs of other services, such as policing. Casey Bramhoff, CUPE 1004, suggested a number of options to reduce the projected budget shortfall, some of which were: annual savings from the transfer of the Health Department to the Province; transfer of funds from the Property Endowment Fund; City to reduce the number of consultants it uses; stop reducing taxes on businesses; improve financial returns on leasing terms. In 1995, Vancouver's property taxes were lower than those of other municipalities. Rod MacDonald, President, Firefighter's Union, opposed any cuts to the Fire & Rescue Services. The public has identified police and fire roles as necessary. Mr. MacDonald urged Council to look at the TriData study which reported the Fire & Rescue Services Department was at rock bottom. Rick Gates, President, CUPE 15 (brief filed) referred to the list included in the Union's brief of almost 100 ideas and proposals which could save the City millions of dollars. The ideas were identified by CUPE 15 members. CUPE 15 has identified three areas where assumptions made at the beginning of the process have skewed the input received to date: having only two choices - service cuts or higher taxes; limits on the consultation; and time-frame limits. The Union asks that any cost savings derived from its proposals be used to reduce any proposed cuts in service. The following speakers opposed reduction in funding of services: Gyda Chud, Westcoast Childcare Resource Centre Michael Goldberg Jean Wolfe, Vancouver Society of Children's Centres Donna Morgan, COPE Shane Simpson Catherine Sheppard, Hastings Park Daycare Committee Bev Park, YWCA John Borst, Executive Director, Immigrant Services Society Cindy Carson, First Call Ron Singh, Neighbourhood Houses Paul Gallagher, Adult Learning Disabilities Association Audrey Johnson Isabel Minty William Revelle Percy Lo The speakers' points are summarized as follows: Westcoast Childcare Resource Centre offers much needed support to childcare and provides a number of programs with real and practical support; the Centre also provides outreach services to promote multicultural programming; Council is urged to maintain current levels of funding to community and multicultural services; A 8.2% increase in property taxes is less than $100 a year, and could save all of the City's services and maintain the quality of life; when people are given a specific amount of money as a proposed tax increase rather than a percentage figure, they are prepared to pay. Over 50 cheques, representing a 8.25% tax increase from each property owner, are presented to Council tonight; Do not waive your commitment for childcare centres; the community has to take care of its children; Increase residential or commercial taxes first before cutting services; look at expenditures, i.e., review the use of consultants; planning should be more decentralized; eliminate the grant to Tourism Vancouver; protect services to the poor and needy; developers should be charged the total cost of sewerage and development costs; City departments have eliminated most of their flexibility; include police and fire in any reduction in services; the vast majority of participants in the Mayor's Forums supported the protection of services; ask the provincial and federal governments to pay for their own share; look at development cost levies; canvass the civic unions for efficiencies; phase any increases or cuts over a number of years; Request support for a day care facility in the Hastings Park area; Every dollar spent on child care is returned six times; very concerned about single mothers and low income families; maintain the reputation of Vancouver as a caring city; continue to provide services; Many of the community services which the City supports serve the ethnic organizations; community services are the most cost effective way to provide preventative services to the community; Urge Council not to cut services as that will have a major impact on families; look for sources of revenue, such as increasing fees at community facilities; the best option is to increase taxes; Maintain safe neighbourhoods which make a livable city; maintain an adequate network of support for neighbourhoods so they stay vibrant and caring; urge Council to preserve services for youth, child care and non-market housing; Vancouver has a well established reputation of being a compassionate community; hope Council is compassionate when making choices; may have to discontinue support for some, may have to acknowledge cannot support everyone; Cuts to community services will cut the city's social net and people who need services will be further marginalized; it will cost the City more money in the long term; Should not have a 0% property tax policy which has helped create the current shortfall; Set up special events planning program for welfare recipients in the Downtown Eastside; and Why don't Eastside residents have the same opportunities; the population density is very high in the Eastside so why close the pool at Templeton; ask all users to pay for pool use. The following speakers opposed increased taxes: John Hanson, Board of Trade Richard Dauphin The delegations' points are summarized as follows: Changes to the tax structure are needed; the unemployment rate in Washington is 6 1/2% and in B.C. it is 9 1/2 to 10%; The Seattle Times has 32 pages of employment ads; the Vancouver Sun, 4 pages; The taxation rate adopted will have an impact on job creation; and The results of the Angus Reid poll does represent the ideas of the majority of homeowners - no increase in property taxes. The following speakers suggested the City look for additional revenues or economies before increasing taxation or cutting services: George Cadman, Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Society (brief filed) Bruce Ng Dr. Bruce Campbell, Parking Corporation of Vancouver (brief filed) Audrey Laferriere Arthur Hughes (brief filed) Ellen Woodsworth Peter Busby, Downtown Vancouver Association Bruce Gillespie The delegations' points are summarized as follows: Don't raise taxes beyond the point of inflation and move towards equalization of the tax share between business and residential classes; Look at how the City is charging for the use of municipal properties; look closely at community services; should review budgets across the board; merge community services agencies serving common areas; expand the ticket levy so that cultural groups can "self-fund" themselves; Use transitional funding from reserves; the current crisis is not short-term and the City needs to get the business community involved to look at long-term changes; Look at the returns the City gets on its short-term investments; Generate more revenues from the City's on and off-street parking resources, e.g., higher on-street rates with shorter durations, elimination of free on-street parking, utilization of vandal-proof meters, higher on-street parking fees in residential areas, converting free off-street parking stalls to fee-for-service facilities; Inform small business owners they are responsible for clean-up of the area around their business; Eliminate duplication of work by Parking Checkers and Meter Checkers by allowing Meter Checkers to write impound tickets; Support a mix of tax increase and cuts in services; also support finding additional revenues such as continuing to pressure the Province for revenues from photo-radar; increase user fees and parking revenues; eliminate the duplication of multiple representation of staff at meetings; cut out service expansion; assume responsibility for transportation, merging of Park Board administration and services; and Look at the economics of using ambulance services versus fire services; review the spending on green ways/bikeways, grants to Tourism Vancouver; don't spend other people's money too readily. The following speakers opposed any cuts in Library services: Judith Saltman Samuel Rothstein Bonnie Roberts-Taylor The delegations' points are summarized below: It is important to maintain literacy levels; the Library needs the appropriate budget for collecting; cuts would be devastating to families; any further cuts will be penalizing disadvantaged communities; The Library provides services to many people of all backgrounds and ages; and Library branches are needed; the downtown branch cannot serve all of the city; libraries maintain literacy for children, teens and adults. John Gifford noted a budget reduction in grounds maintenance would be beneficial in providing an increase in songbird habitat, provide future bird sanctuaries with no additional cost and protect songbird diversity. RISE FROM COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MOVED by Cllr. Bellamy, THAT the Committee of the Whole rise and report. - CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY ADOPT REPORT OF COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MOVED by Cllr. Bellamy, SECONDED by Cllr. Puil, THAT the report of the Committee of the Whole be adopted. - CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY The Council adjourned at 10:15 p.m. * * * * *