The City of Prince George recently conducted community engagement on municipal budget priorities.
As part of the engagement, an online survey was conducted from October 3rd to 31st.
The results of the survey were presented during a Standing Committee on Finance and Audit meeting on Monday.
The online survey garnered 620 participants with a 41.3 per cent participation rate.
- 77 per cent answered at least 25 per cent of the questions
- 67 per cent answered at least 50 per cent of the questions
- 37 per cent of participants answered 75 per cent of the questions
Funding priorities were
The participants indicated a desire to keep taxes the the same in eight of 13 budget areas, with the following exceptions:
- Bylaw Enforcement Services: 15 per cent decrease
- Community Planning and Economic Development: 15 per cent decrease
- Corporate Services: five per cent decrease
- Police Services five per cent increase
- Infrastructure Management: Five per cent increase
Roads, sidewalks, and storm drainage were seen as the top three budget priorities.
During the same meeting, a report showed the city is in for an estimated 5.88 per cent tax increase for 2024, which could be brought up to 7.58 with a list of service enhancements.
The city’s budget meetings will be held on January 22nd, 24th, and 29th.