It's your money

How’s work going, a reporter is asked.

Busy, the reply. This is the time of year when agencies and municipal units are looking at year-ends, budgets, tax rates. Lots of annual meetings to cover.

Oh, that must be interesting.

Interesting? Maybe not. Important? Absolutely.

Did you know the Waterville and District Fire Department is budgeting close to $3 million on new trucks, equipment and fire hall upgrades over the next few years? Only one person -- actually, the reporter, who lives in the fire district -- attended a recent meeting to set an outside area fire rate. Surprised? There was no rate to set after all: the rate set last year stays, tied to the repayment of the latest $400,000-plus truck purchase.

Did you know Kings Transit is looking for a 30 per cent budget increase from its funding partners -- that’s Wolfville, Berwick and Kentville, and the County of Kings, plus units from Hants and Annapolis counties? Berwick’s share jumps from about $16,000 to $27,000 -- but that doesn’t take into account an anticipated $100,000 transit authority 2007/2008 deficit. One cent on Berwick’s tax rate generally brings in $10,000. Imagine what the county’s share jumps by, at 30 per cent?

Okay -- with the budget year dates, the backslash, the percentage, the dollar signs, the tax rate revenues -- we imagine your eyes glazing over and your mind drift.

Focus!

Valley Waste has a $1 million surplus accumulated in the past few years, and it’s still asking municipal units for an increase.

CentreStage, the community theatre group in Kentville, is on the search for hundreds of thousands of dollars for the purchase and redevelopment of its building.

Kings municipal units -- excluding Kentville -- have sunk thousands into a high-speed, high-capacity fibre network, but have yet to earn any income off its leasing potential.

If you think the assessment cap on your 2008/ 2009 tax bill is great, you need to ask a municipal councillor what it means when it comes to capturing the same tax revenue from communities to cover services.

Municipal units also run a grants to organizations line in their budgets: anyone who applies for money generally slots in here, with different assessment requirements from unit to unit. Does it enhance a municipal service? If it does, but the unit hasn’t supported it in the past, is that a precedent for continued non-support? Is it a school band trip, with students as community ambassadors? Is it an economic driver? Did the applicants get their request in at the beginning of the year, before the funds are used up? Did the municipal unit hack the fund to balance costs elsewhere?

An individual just sent a letter to a council asking for a length of new sidewalk near her neighbourhood. She knew when the budget process gets underway, and she knew a resident’s direct request can get attention. She may not be satisfied this year, but municipal units run “lists” of all kinds for short and long-term projects.

Finding the money to pay for everything is likely not interesting for decision-makers, either, come to think of it: long meetings, lots of numbers and way more places to spend a dollar than there are dollars to spend.

Interesting? Maybe not. Important? Absolutely!