Municipal Fiscal Imbalance

WHEREAS there exists a fiscal imbalance between municipalities and the senior levels of governments as the financial positions of the federal and provincial governments have greatly improved and the transfer payments to local governments have been reduced; AND WHEREAS this imbalance, coupled with the need to meet increased service demands and to address the issue of replacement of aging infrastructure has resulted in ongoing increases in municipal property and business taxes and user fees which puts an undue burden on the municipal taxpayer: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Union of BC Municipalities and the Federal of Canadian Municipalities be requested to lobby both the Province of BC and the Government of Canada to take steps in their upcoming budgets to address the Municipal Fiscal Imbalance by reinstating a revenue sharing program with municipalities and that these revenues be stable over time.