Nanaimo City Council will hold an eTown Hall meeting on Monday, Dec. 4, in addition to considering a second AAP for borrowing linked to a new publc works yard. (File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

budget process

eTown Hall event to focus on Nanaimo City budget and priorities

Dec 4, 2023 | 5:24 AM

NANAIMO — A large crowd is expected at Monday’s City Council meeting, which will also serve as a focused discussion on City spending.

In conjunction with the regularly scheduled Council meeting on Monday, Dec. 4 beginning at 7 p.m., the City is also holding an eTown Hall for residents to ask questions about the City’s budget process and key priorities in the years to come.

Residents can participate by submitting question ahead of time through a form on the City’s website, via the event page on Facebook or on Twitter by including the hashtag #NanaimoTH.

They can also be phoned in by calling the City at 250 754 4251 until 4 p.m. on Monday. Questions can also be asked in person or online at the event itself.

Like all Council meetings, the event will be broadcast live through Shaw Cable, as well as online via the City’s website.

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Focus will be on the 2024-2028 draft financial plan and a projected 6.4 per cent property tax increase in 2024.

The event is moderated by City staff with some questions merged prior to the event.

“To ensure all trending topics are covered, questions that are similar in nature will be compiled into one or two questions so that there are none remaining by the end of the e-Town Hall,” the City noted in a release.

Also due part of Monday’s agenda is discussion on a second Alternative Approval Process to allow the City to borrow upwards of $48.5 million for phase one of a new public works yard.

An administrative error effectively rendered the first AAP, which concluded in early November, null and void and Council will consider whether or not to proceed with a staff recommendation for a second AAP to start in mid-January.

Several members of a self-proclaimed ‘Nanaimo City Council Oversight Hub’ group have said they plan to attend and speak at the meeting, asking Council not borrow the money.

Increasing property taxes and desire for a wider community vote on the project, via referendum, are among chief concerns.

Join the conversation. Submit your letter to NanaimoNewsNOW and be included on The Water Cooler, our letters to the editor feature.

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