An average homeowner in Nelson will see a property tax increase of about $91 this year, if city council adopts the budget put out to the public for comment Tuesday.
About 20 people, and almost as many members of city departments, came out for a public airing of the city’s 2011 financial plan.
City staff are calling for a two per cent tax increase, to create a contingency fund, but city manager Kevin Cormack says they’ve had to cut several services and staff positions to get to that point.
On the chopping block are $81,000 worth of travel and administration expenses and $15,000 used for skunk control. The budget also calls for a $200,000 reduction in staffing, which will mainly be borne by the police and fire services as well as the city’s snowplow team.
Cormack says the reductions won’t come from laying off current staffers, but from leaving a number of positions vacant when city employees retire this year.
While the city went out of its way to defend its decision to hike parking meter rates to one dollar per hour, there was little vocal opposition to the move at the open house.
Instead, several attendants blasted the city about its staffing costs, which account for nearly 70 per cent of the 2011 budget.
One audience member said the city suffers from “mission creep,” where more and more staffers seem to be required to do a job originally done by one person.
“When does it stop?” he asked, before suggesting any money set aside to replace former city chief financial officer Linda Tynan, who departed late last year, should instead be spent on snowplowing.
Cormack said the city does have more people on staff because provincial and federal restrictions for projects are often more stringent today than historically.
City council will formally adopt the 2011 budget at its March 7 meeting.