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18 '— Friday, December 5, 1997 -- North Shore News.

West Van wrestles with bud

Catherine Barr
Contributing Writer
TAX hikes and service
reductions are on the
horizon as West
Vancouver Council
gears up to deal with
budget shortfalls in
1998.

“In response to council's
direction to maintain minimal
tax increases, a number of cost
cutting measures (have been)

’ instituted,” read a West Van
staff report.

West Vancouver addressed
its 1998 provisional budget
Nov. 24.

The report states that a
base budget increase of 0.2% is
required to continue provid-
ing 1997 levels of service dur-
ing 1998.

_ Council could also choose
to grant a number of
supplementary requests to var-
ious departments. This would
result in a budget increase of
1.7%, consisting of a 2.3%
increase in property taxes and
a 0.6% decrease in utility fees.

Municipal budgets have
been constrained for the past
few years, read the report. The
document aiso states that
council is still grappling with
how to handle a potential rev-
enue shortfall of approximate-
ly $860,000 that is due to the
uncertain future of the
Provincial Revenue Sharing
grant program.

. As the mayor and council
attempted to deal with the fig-
ures announced by director of
finance George Horwood,
Coun. Victor Durman was
quick. to point out several dis-

-¢repancies in the numbers.
Saying how he shated ae bug
people at the budget with fig-
ures,” he had staff's scrambling
to explain several budgetary
totals.

Among the — proposed
changes for 1998 is a decrease
in public library hours. Chief
librarian Ann Goodhart said
that the library could close on
Monday mornings, in addition
to the Friday night and
Christmas closures imple-
mented earlier this year.

The recommendation
results from a public survey
conducted by library staff that
revealed 75% of library patrons
favor cutting ‘back the hours
over reducing the new book
budget.

The local police force also
faces cutbacks. Chief Grant
Churchill announced that a
complete reorganization is
necessary and will take place in
1998. This will mean rank
reductions, staff cutbacks and
a “civilianization” of certain
police positions. If council fol-
lows recommendations, West
Vancouver will also be left with
only two bylaw officers.

The possible reduction of
bylaw off crs caused concern
for both Coun. Bill Soprovich
and Coun. Victor Durman.
Durman emphasized — that
council did not ask for a
teduction in bylaw officers,
while Soprovich spoke of the
need for more bylaw officers.

“We need thase bylaw offi-
cers,” said Soprovich. Coun.
Liz Byrd echoed the senti-
ment, stating: “I anramazed at
the lack of bylaw regulation in
Dundarave and Ambleside.”

She even acknowledged she
personally was “a ticket wait-
ing to be written.”

Mayor Pat Boname clan-
fied that the elimination of the
police grant and the West Van
courthouse closure earlier this

year resulted in a foss of
$230,000 to the municipality.

The fire department pro-
poses to meet its 1998 budget
target through the use of the
recently combined dispatch
service (which merged the
West Vancouver system with
the North Vancouver system)
and the implementation of

carly retirement incentives.
Some restructuring will also be
required.

Reductions will come from
the administration, “not the
firefighter level,” said Assistant
Chief Ron Olson.

City hall itself will also be
in tur some changes.

Municipal manager Doug

Allan announced the introduc-
tion of a voice response tele-
phone system and electronic
tax filing to further reduce
labor costs. He also said that
records, permits and licenses
will be examined in order to
“provide (therm) on a speedier
basis.”

Boname said that even with

the introduction of such a sys-
tem, she will always be avail-
able for public comment.

“T always answer my own
phone,” she said.

Further budget delibera-
tions will rake place in the new
year.

The final budget must be
approved by May 15, 1998.

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