Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts say there needs to be a new form of partnership between the municipalities and senior levels of governments.   “B.C. municipalities need a new deal with the provincial and federal governments to provide the services our constituents expect,” she said. “The current model is broken and as mayors we need to meet to discuss a collaborative approach to reversing the unsustainable trend that most municipalities are facing.”   Watts noted municipalities provide the bulk of services in areas such as infrastructure, but only take in about eight cents from each tax dollar.

Comments made in Penticton where Mayors from around the province were meeting.

Quick response from Liberal Government:

The Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development, Ida Chong, says a shift in the funding may not resolve the problems being faced by municipalities.

Chong says simply giving local governments a bigger piece of the “tax pie” will not change the fact that there is only one taxpayer. “Reallocating current tax revenues could put in jeopardy the crucial services delivered by senior levels of government.”

Chong says while the Province recognizes the challenges of stretching tax dollars and meeting ongoing budgetary demands, she points out the Province has supported the work of local governments with $3 billion dollars in additional funding over the past ten years.

 Chong also suggests local governments turn their minds toward cutting costs. “B.C. has held its public service employees to zero wage increases over the past two years. The federal government is also reducing its civil service by 19,000 positions. Meanwhile, local governments have increased compensation to their employees every year – despite the recent global economic downturn.”

Chong says that rather than fight for more money from senior governments, all levels of government should be working together to “lift the burden on our taxpayers by re-evaluating the potential for shared services and identifying best practices so we can build infrastructure, maintain stability and keep British Columbians working.”