Municipal Fiscal Imbalance

WHEREAS in 1997, the previous provincial government eliminated the transfers the Revenue Sharing Act provided prior to 1997 for a sharing of provincial revenues with local governments, forcing local governments, forcing local governments to increase their reliance on property taxes; AND WHEREAS other revenue sources available to local governments cannot fill the gap between the increasing responsibilities and growing costs to service our citizens and a sustainable level of property taxation; AND WHEREAS giving consideration that the decline in transfers to local governments is in contrast to the rate of federal transfer payments to British Columbia and compared to the growing provincial and federal surpluses: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government take steps in their upcoming budget to address the local government fiscal imbalance by reinstating a revenue sharing program with local governments and that these revenues be stable over time.