UPDATE ON LANGFORD:
Langford council has made an amendment to the Draft Five-Year Financial Plan (p. 105) to update the document to ensure all budget documents are transparent and user-friendly.
“The City recognizes it is important for residents to be able to meaningfully participate in the annual budget process.While robust Council and Committee of the Whole meetings support this, the City will continually strive to improve the budget process and budget documents to ensure the public is best able to understand and participate in related decision-making,” according to Langford.
Grumpy Taxpayer$ has advocated for a number of years that the Langford financial documents cannot be understood by the general public and were in need of improvements. The improvements are scheduled to come into effect in the budget cycle and by the first quarter of 2025. It’s hoped Langford will also consider a user-friendly page on its website outlining remuneration and expense policies of council similar to other municipalities in the province.
Victoria, Saanich, Sooke also recognized
High-five everyone for our winners!
The advocacy group Grumpy Taxpayer$ of Greater Victoria has awarded Langford top honours in its 8th Annual Candy Cane Awards for adopting its first ever strategic plan to guide operations during the next several years.
“It’s been a challenging year for the new Langford council, but we are encouraged that critical management tools such as the strategic plan are being put in place,” says John Treleaven, chair of Grumpy Taxpayer$.
A strategic plan, the first since incorporation in 1992, gives council and staff better focus and sets out goals, objectives and deadlines for their implementation. Taxpayers are also kept better informed, he says.
“Langford plans to develop an asset management plan, to improve public engagement and improve access to city information, and to bring in a development tracker. The city has also committed to updating its council expense policy,” says Treleaven.
Unfortunately, a glaring omission to improve governance in the strategic plan is the absence of a commitment to bring the unreadable five-year financial plan (budget) format up to modern standards.
As for SECOND PLACE, City of Victoria council is to be commended for implementing most of the 30 recommendations of the MNP Governance Report of July 2018.
“In the last decade this is arguably the most important document to be adopted by a municipality on the South Island,” says Treleaven.
“The report has implications for the other 12 neighbourhood municipalities and recommendations on how to improve their governance.”
Unfortunately, at this point council plans to shut out the public from making complaints to an independent, unbiased third-party under a new code of conduct, contrary to the recommendations of the mayor and staff. We continue to oppose this position as detailed in “Restricting public complaints wrong-headed.”
THIRD PLACE honours goes to Coun. Collin Plant of Saanich for championing the concept of consolidating the four core fire services.
“We recognize Coun. Plant for taking a courageous public view on an issue that has long been talked about but not acted upon,” says Treleaven. “Consolidating fire services makes sense from various points of view.”
There would be one command structure, response times would be improved, communications would be seamless, and dispatching would be helped,” Treleaven says.
Rather than the four, there would be one human resources department, training branch, and emergency planning group. Disaster response planning would be simplified and more effective. Rather than having four separate emergency disaster plans, one plan would exist to coordinate resources more effectively when disasters occur. It would facilitate forming an urban heavy rescue team.
HONOURABLE MENTION – This year we’ve added an honourable mention category to recognize the impressive budget consultation efforts of the District of Sooke.
“Sooke has done an extensive consultation with the public prior to the next budget year. Municipalities often start asking taxpayers their views, but after the budget year has already started,” says Treleaven.
The “Let’s Talk” initiative ended in August 2023 for the 2024 budget year, culminating in an impressive “What we heard” report.
READ MORE
City of Langford, Financial Plan 2024-28. https://langford.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Approved-2022-2026-Five-Year-Financial-Plan.pdf
Restricting public complaints wrong-headed, Grumpy Taxpayer$, Oct. 2023. https://grumpytaxpayers.com/2023/10/restricting-public-complaints-wrong-headed/
We should consolidate firefighting services, Grumpy Taxpayer$, 2023. https://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/comment-we-should-consolidate-firefighting-services-7075682
Available for Media Interviews: John Treleaven, Chair, Grumpy Taxpayer$, treleavengroup@shaw.ca 250.656.7899, cell 250.588.7899