Property Taxes: Nelson's Bug-A-Boo

New Nelson councillors reveal city Budget 'eye openers'
                                                                      Nelson Star, Feb. 7, 2019

While councillors gush how much they've recently learned about the City's budgeting - and how well it all works - something refreshingly new, possibly game-changing for Nelson's property-owners' perception of the budgeting-process is brought-up by Councillor Anderson.

Yet not developed in the write-up or anywhere else since.

$85K Expenditure = 1% Property-Tax Increase
If - according to Councillor Anderson - at City Hall any expenditure of $80K - $90K - as a "rule-of-thumb" - indeed equates a 1% property-tax increase: with this simple measure major expenditures - particularly those not budgeted - could/should be under much more motivated public scrutiny.

This may partially apply even to grants for budgeted/unbudgeted expenditures - seeing their intent still (always!) requires Council's approval.

1. Exercise Equipment - Lakeside Park
While sets essential for an all-around work-out are part of the older yellow equipment - they are not replicated in the newer black bits and pieces.
Of which 4 sets are clearly dangerous for any age-group; with all sets marked 13+: not to be used by children under 13.

Yet hordes of unsupervised very young children are all over this equipment on soccer-Saturdays; fewer and of all ages - still in numbers - during the rest of the week.
But even the most attentive sometime-supervision won't mitigate the spelled-out danger-factor.

The reason given for installing the black equipment is that the yellow presents liability-issues: it therefore must be replaced. Even though none of the yellow sets are inherently dangerous - they have caused no injury over time - are simple to use and in just fine working-order.

Also see post
An Exercise in Liability
11 Nov, 2018

City Hall - seemingly oblivious to real-time liability-issues with the inexpertly slapped-together black set-up - paid about 78K tax-dollars for it: unapproved by Council. Total costs were about $140K - with a cost-overrun of about 13K (also unapproved!) - and include a grant of $65K from the (silent on this!) CBT.

A 1% property-tax increase for someone's ill-conceived vanity-project at City Hall.

With local news-media nowhere in sight. At best - maybe unaware. 

 

2. Cottonwood Market
Over time/in stages - at least 83K tax-dollars are approved for a new Cottonwood Market, including $40K for a band-shell: this approved in 2017, and announced by City Manager Kevin Cormack to be in place by summer 2018.

Having produced neither the band-shell nor the Market's reincarnation, at least $122.600 went somewhere elsewhere - this including 40K from the (silent again!) CBT!

Another 1% property-tax increase!

If (some of) these funds were misapplied to other purposes instead: one must presume those were unbudgeted, unapproved.

None of these Market steps into nowhere questioned in local media.

Both fundings graphically-simply represent City Hall's rule-of-thumb. There are others. These two examples of budgetary shape-shifting were not volunteered to the public. 

'An expenditure of $85K equating a property-tax increase of 1%' should become a mantra hummed by the property-owning public, with City Administration held accountable for every tax-dollar (to be) spent!

Strictly kept in check by Council (once they're done gushing!).

Consistently reported by local news-media - in the readers' interest.
(Their purpose - isn't it?)

22 March, 2019:
Over several days now - the yellow exercise-equipment has been torn-down set-by-set. With the demolition finished today - seemingly this equipment (in perfect working-order) will become landfill(?).
The story goes: City Manager Cormack wanted to give it all away - but found no takers!

Accountability!




Image Credits:
simpsonnotaries
kgwn.tv
naimacanada


Colin McClure, CFO
cmcclure@nelson.ca

Kevin Cormack, CAO
kcormack@nelson.ca

John Dooley, Mayor
jdooley@nelson.ca

City Council
nelsoncouncil@nelson.ca

Pam Mierau, Manager - Development Services 
pmierau@nelson.ca

Aimee Ambrosone, Director - CBT
aambrosone@cbt.org