|
March
2003 Newsletter
City
Tree Planting "Unaffordable"
The City will no longer replace street trees that it cuts
down. Last year about 2000 trees were removed from city
streets, and 750 were planted, but the 2003 budget has eliminated
the replanting budget. Councillors also removed funding
for a forestry management plan and decided to only plant
flowers in traffic islands where this is paid for by a private
company. All public swimming pools will be closed on Sundays
starting in July and several recreation centres will also
have reduced hours during the week. Councillors also decided
that
Budget cuts and fee increases this year totaled nearly $37
million much of it imposed on the poor. Over $5 million
was cut from the social and public health services budget,
and $7 million from the community services department. The
latter cuts included more than $1 million from parks and
$250,000 from libraries. $900,000 came out of the social
housing budget. The City also plans to collect more than
a million extra in fines and parking tickets and to sell
15% of its buildings.
Massive cuts to the HSR were beaten back by public anger,
but a fare increase will still squeeze nearly a million
dollars from HSR riders, while the DARTS system will continue
to reject at least 45,000 requests a year from disabled
and elderly users.
The depth of the budget crisis was evident in some of the
proposed cuts that were eventually not adopted. They included
terminating services for 480 frail, elderly clients with
multiple health issues living on a fixed income, and no
longer providing funerals, glasses, prosthetics, dentures
and other basic medical assistance to 4800 low income families
and hundreds of elderly people who can't afford them. Council
also very actively considered, but eventually backed off,
closing nearly 100 beds in second level lodging homes, a
move that would certainly have thrown many of these people
into homelessness. City staff are openly predicting that
next year's budget will be even worse. No doubt many of
these cuts and more will be on the table.
Major factors causing the City's budget crisis include:
increasing the capital budget by $7.2 million this year;
having $50 million a year in debt payments; lowering business
taxes by over $20 million in the last two years; and raising
the police budget over $15 million in three years. In addition,
the City would appear to be losing $15-25 million a year
by having residential development charges that are one-half
to two-thirds lower than neighbouring municipalities. The
City also exempts industrial development from these charges.
|
