District faci

Election 1999

NVD’s next council may have to bite the development bullet

Martin Millerchip
News Reporter martin@nsnews.com

IT’S the largest of the three local governments on
the North Shere covering an arca of 162 sq. km
(63 sq. miles). —

A population of approximately 82,000 cal!
North Vancouver District home.

It’s a well-educated population.

Statistics Canada says 87% of the population
over 25 years of age has graduated high school,
64% of the population has post-secondary educa-
tion, while 33.6% have completed university.

That last figure is almost double the provincial
average.

It’s an affluent *burb, too.

Seventy-cight per cent of the residents lived in
their own homes in 1995, The average value of
that private property was $362,927 (that figure

“has since dropped) — some $123,000 (or 51%)
higher than the provincial average. .

Annual reported income in 1996, the last year
for which figures are available, averaged $35,811,
approximatzly $9,500 (or 36%) higher than the
provincial average. ;

The district is, like West Vancouver, onc of the
wealthiest municipaticies in Canada — although
some might argue that it’s because poor people
can’t afford to live here,

Property taxes have increased by a total of
11.6% during the 1997-1999 period and the
potential for further and continued increases
loom as one of the real issues facing, whichever
councillors are elected in November.

"The recent rounds of municipal tax hikes do not reflect a praf-
gate spendin, ing policy of the present council.

In fact, the corporation has been forced to find efficiencies and

duce its costs in the fcc off
@ massive provincial downloading (the district was one of the most
heavily penalized municipalities in the province — it can be argued
that: property taxes would have risen. 2.2%, not 11.6%, during
1997-1999 without the provincial hits);
Mi = political choice to continue moving the cost of repfaceable cap-
ital items from land sates (an old corporate policy rhat had effec-
tively subsidized the tax levy for years) to dircct taxation;
%% $1.2 million in negotiated wage setticments;
& new project funding (most of it dictated by referendum assent
B inflation. aa
-.S" Specifically, 1999"s 5.4% tax hike — in a budget of $68 million
= cost the avérage homeowner another $67 in taxes and can be
blamed on: | , :
® provincial downloading worth 3.34%;
@ referendum project funding worth 1.65%; and
SJ a gciieral cperations increase of 0.41%, .
° > Overall; however, general operating costs have fallen 0.5% in
the last three years, which says much for those in control of the
adniinisteation. :
- Municipal manager Gord Howie believes the district has done
a gocd job of al ing increasing costs without passing them on
to:its taxpayers. However, he knows there may be more pain to
_If the provincial government decides to grapple with its deficit
iy cutting funding to programs the public has come to expect, the
demands for those services will be heard at the municipal level.

incial demand to balance its budget, North —

: istrict 44 eliminated funding for the patrols on
Feb: 1, 1996, Worried pas arrived at district hall in short order
demanding that the municipality pick up the cost of the program.
: The community i stil expecting high levels of service and will
turn to municipal governments to provide those services,” says

”. But if municipalities everywhere are struggling to provide the
same: level of once how can the district contemplate taking on
anything clse? _. . : .

*“] think you can always find better ways of doing things.
‘Technology and changes can always make an operation more cffi-
cient,” says Howie. 7 —_ .

*'But he also acknowledges thar “cotuncil has started to look at

what programs we can reduce and eliminate.”
--Wams Howie, “You can only stretch an clastic so far.”

i> "2 BJe refuses to: comment on whether the district should move

back into land sales and development — that’s a political decision
= for. the next council —- but he. acknowledges at one point that
B.“we've got some additional assets.” oo

--ouncil; however, would have ‘to change its tune in order to
cash in on any of the district’s land bank Ro ‘

: Back in March 1997, four months into their term of office,”

newly elected councillors Trevor Carolan, Glenys Deering-Robb

and Lisa Muzi voted together to block the passage of what, in pre-

vious years had become a routine appropriation of district land
gales ‘money. (A fiscal bylaw needs a two-thirds majority to pass.)

- Eventually, ‘much of the 1997 capital budget went ahead as

planned, -but che district’s land development program (sceking

$5.66 million that year) was severely curtailed. While some pro-
jects already under way were ultimately funded, money to pay tor
the costs of bringing municipally owned land onto the real estate
market for future years was virtually eliminated.

An election promise to limit development in the Seymour area

WITH 23 candidates vying for council, district voters would do weil to give .
some time to pondering the issues facing the municipality.

made in 1996 became a reality. But there has been a resulsing
reduction to the district’s reserves available for capital projects.
And while the majority of the $26 million worth of 1996 referen-
dum project money has been borrowed and spent, or factored into
the five-year capital budget projection, three of the potential pro-
jects have yet to get started. If they get the go-ahead $10.5 million
remains to be borrowed:
%@ Lynn Valley library (56 million);
Heritage Services/Archives building —~ possibly to be combined
with the library ($1.5 million); and
Ba Lower Capilano community facility ($3 million).
Development in the district has continued to some extent with
condominium construction on Burrard Band land. And the adop-
ton of the Lynn Valley Official Community Plan clears the way for
higher density housing in same areas of the Lynn Valley core.
Meanwhile, business, commercial and light industrial development
will now be passible along a realigned Dollarton Highway tollow-
ing the controversial and lengthy debate over the upzoning of
lands surrounding CXY’s chiorine plant.

<
Crtsieisl

ote

Sunday, October 31, 1999 ~ North Shore News - 3

cash crunch -

However, even that “improvement” to the Seymour highway
systent will come with further cost to taxpayers if voters approve a
referendum on the concept of “nvinning” the Dollarton Bridge.

There are no dollar figures attached to the referendum ques-
tion, which begs the question of where the required S6 million will
come from, Since the district purchased the private home adjacent
to the bridge (required for road widening) tor $460,000 after
council decided it would seek voter assent for the new bridge plan,
one can only assunie staff believe the project will go for-
ward.

There are other even larger expenditures on the district's
horizon, And while sorae are discretionary, others may
not be.

Voters will also be asked Nov. 20 whether they approve in
principle plans for increased waterfront access as outlined
in the Waterfront Task Force’s Phase 2 report. If the plan
gets the green light, the task force envisions the purchase
of some prime waterfront properties and foreshore rights.
Its estimaied costs for the first 15 years of the plan are
approximately $8 million.

Opponents have pegged the rue costs over 50 years at
more than $50 million and ask why, if the district is con-
cerned about waterfront access, it doesn’t just clear the
brambie bushes off the 13 waterfront lots it already owns?
Interestingly, a News survey of some 500 residents con-
ducted in November 1998 that asked whether North
Shore councils should spend “millions” on lot purchase
to increase waterfront access saw a clear majority of decid-
ed voters say yes.

More recently the district got some very unpleasant news
when a consultant’s risk assessment of debris flaw hazards
on approximately 40 creek systems across the municipali-.
ty was released in April.

The district’s director of engineering subsequently told
the News that solutions could “conservatively” be $5
million to $10 million. Some councillors have put the
cast of solutions at twice that amount. Council approved
further detailed studies of five creck systems deemed to be at high
risk of flooding (cost: $250,000). ‘That information will be avail-
able cowards the end of 2000.

The new council will have te grapple with what degree of risk
it deems acceptable and then find whatever moncy is necessary to.
mect the preferred safety standard.

Meanwhile, other capital replacement programs such as those
for road and sidewalk repair continue to slide further down the list
of capital funding priorities and some of the district’s concrete
Water mains continue to fail unpredictably.

The next council that district voters clect is going to be faced
with some unpleasant choices. ;

They come with the councillor’s job’ description. “For, all

‘ municipalities the biggest challenge is how you allocate the’.

resources, where you set the priorities and where you get the rev-
enue,” says Howie. . vos
Sure, carving up the municipal pic, doling our the pieces and
dealing with the hungry comes with council territory, but the fill--
ing in the district's pic is getting thinner every year. won

cthe