CVRD cannot move funds from one pot to another
Re: “CVRD’s affordable housing tax asking for a leap of faith”, (Citizen, Aug. 22)
It was good to see Alex Currie weighing in again locally. Haven’t heard from him since he moved to North Saanich. I concur that the proposed service for affordable housing is a decent and unique way for the problem to be addressed.
It’s understandable that Mr. Currie would not have a clear understanding of the way funds at regional districts are required to be distributed. (Took me a year, and still learn something new from time to time)
CVRD has to have a function for everything they wish to do, in order to tax citizens for that specific function. Affordable housing doesn’t have such a function/service, meaning we would not be able to leverage any CVRD taxes to receive the consideration monies from senior governments, who have made it clear they are looking for collaboration with local government, including “skin in the game” around their decisions on where to award this money. Nor could we receive any bequeaths of cash or land for the purpose of housing.
Mr. Currie is concerned any taxes collected for affordable housing could find their way being spent on some other purpose. Provincial legislations don’t allow for money collected by regional districts save for their specified purpose and they need voter assent to be collected. Hence the referendum, which will also include a question about whether citizens support a function to protect drinking water and watersheds in general.
Both these functions, should they pass, would cost $ 3.87 per $100,000 assessed value for residential homes towards affordable housing and $3.79 per $100,000 assessed value for water protection.
A 2016 statistical survey had overwhelming support for functions for both of these issues.
Thanks Alex Currie, for allowing your concerns, which others may misguidedly share, to be allayed. Legislation already exists to prevent funds collected from one purpose to be used for another. Hence the need for these functions to get affordable housing built and to protect our drinking water and watersheds. Without a function, we cannot address either at regional level.
A robust public engagement involves a high level overview of the services and the need and rationale which will go to every household in the region (33k), FAQs on the web and a series of five open houses across the region: Sept. 19 Lake Cowichan; Sept. 24 Ladysmith; Sept. 26 Duncan; Oct. 2 Thetis Island; Oct. 9 Mill Bay.
Hope to see many citizens out to learn about the proposals in order to inform their vote. And hope we have a very high voter turnout Oct. 20. So many issues need to be addressed.
Kate Marsh
North Cowichan councillor
CVRD director