Members of the Oliver Parks and Recreation Society (OPRS) have told staff to hold the line on any budget increase for 2013.

At this month’s regular meeting Directors heard a report from Manager Bob Grant on various options that would limit budgeted spending:

1. Reduce current Tangible Capital Assets tax line from 5 % to 2 % resulting in a budget increase of almost 1%

or

2. Fund all capital from current reserves and deleting the program reserve resulting in an overall projected increase of 1.03%

Directors decided to stick with an 0% budget increase bleeding the TCA reserves to do that.

The OPRS will also ask the Regional District to enact a bylaw that covers reserves for Tangible Capital Asset replacements before the Society makes additional decisions beyond the regular reserves for each building or function.

The parks budget process starts in September and ends in the new year – so some changes are possible.

On another current matter, the covering of the pool – directors told staff to survey customers and taxpayers in various ways in the next 30 days bringing a report to a future board meeting on what taxpayers and users would be willing to pay – if they think the local pool should be covered and used year round.