Strategic Driver - Fiscal Responsibility

Arts and Culture Grants

• The cost is shared by electoral area residents for their participation in regional programs provided by arts and culture.

Baynes Sound, B and C Parks

• Partnerships with community health associations and not-for-profit organizations help deliver park maintenance at a reduced cost.

Courtenay Flats Drainage

• The parcel tax has remained consistent for many years and is proposed to remain unchanged across the plan.
• Reserves are being set aside to fund capital works required in 2024.

Denman and Hornby Islands High Speed Internet

• Grant funding and the contribution partnership reduces the financial impact on property owners and promotes partnerships with community organizations.

Economic Development - Denman Island

• Supporting operating through Denman Works! is a method for enhanced economic development.

Economic Development - Hornby Island

• Supporting operating through HICEEC is a method for enhanced economic development and leveraging of grants such as upgrade internet infrastructure project.

Feasibility

• The feasibility studies services investigate the potential creation of new services required to address the specific issues and needs of each electoral area community. Service creation must always consider fiscal responsibility as a driver and part of sustainable service delivery.

Fire - Cumberland and Bates/Huband Road

• Both of these services are provided by way of agreement, utilizing existing fire departments which, provides for efficiencies and economies of scale by partnering on fire services costs with the neighbouring municipality.

Fire - Denman and Hornby Islands, Fanny Bay and Union Bay

• These services are managed by CVRD staff, with three being provided in combination with service agreements with local associations for the provision of bookkeeping and accounting of the operational grant. The Fanny Bay Fire Protection Service is managed directly by CVRD staff as there is no association.

Fireworks Regulation

• An increase of $29,305 is proposed for 2022 to fund budgeted annual costs to provide service levels.
• This increase captures an increase to operating costs, additional staffing positions and legal fees.

Garbage Collection - Royston

• In order to preserve reserve funds at minimum desired levels, a user fee increase is recommended in 2024.
• The service is provided under contract which was established through a public process.
• The collection service is part of the Recycle BC program and receives incentive payments which help offset some of the operation costs of the program.

Heritage Conservation

• Careful management of services and assets is essential to providing affordable and reliable services to citizens and businesses in the CVRD.
• No increases to requisition are proposed.
• These are lean services with no personnel allocated.

LWMP

• Much of the work completed within this service includes evaluation of improved wastewater/rainwater management through the creation of new services.
• Service creation must always consider fiscal responsibility as a driver and part of sustainable service delivery.

Parks - Denman Island and Hornby Island

• Partnerships with HIRRA and DIRA and the use of volunteers to help deliver park maintenance reduces operational costs.

Planning, GIS, Bylaw Compliance

• Significant grant funding obtained to undertake the Coastal Flood Adaptation Strategy and related implementation projects.

Refuse Disposal - Denman Island

• Services are delivered through contract with Denman Island Residents Association to provide best value for money with CVRD staff support when required.

Refuse Disposal - Hornby Island

• Services are delivered through contract with Hornby Island Residents and Ratepayers Association (a local organization) to provide value for money, with Comox Valley Regional District staff support Hornby Island Residents and Ratepayers Association when required.

Rural Community Grants

• The annual allocation process provides support across the community supported by an application process to ensure a fair process and that the funds are allocated to the most impactful or highly needed investment as determined by the electoral area directors during an open session meeting of the Electoral Areas Services Committee.

Vancouver Island Regional Library

• This service supports and enables VIRL’s vision of continuing to develop strong library branches that are vital community destinations for knowledge, inspiration, innovation and renewal, with collaborations and partnerships, as one of six VIRL values, being integral in achieving its goal.

911 Answering

• The majority of costs associated with this service are directed to NI 9-1-1 by way of an annual operational grant. 
• The NI 9-1-1 undertakes a similarly thoughtful financial planning process to ensure the long-term fiscal sustainability of the corporation. The shareholders re-affirmed the value and high levels of service in fall 2020 strategic planning, as well as identified the economies of scale through the corporation for significant infrastructure needed to provide this service. 
• They also affirmed the need to consider key staff succession planning to maintain this infrastructure of towers and radio communication across Vancouver Island in remote locations in the short and long term through funding an additional IT support person starting in 2021. 
• Lastly, the award of another fee for service contract to the Cowichan Valley Regional District for fire dispatch services, which commenced in mid-2021 and is similar in scope to that with the Peace River Regional District, further offsets the net apportionment to all shareholders reducing net costs for the fixed fire dispatch contract utilizing available call volume capacity.

CV Emergency Program

• Support establishment of asset management program for the service.

Emergency Program

• Identifying and applying for grants to enhance programming while maintaining an incremental tax requisition to ensure sustainable service delivery.

Fire - BCOB, Merville, Mt. Washington

• These services are managed by the CVRD, in combination with a service agreement with a local association for the provision of bookkeeping and accounting of the operational grant.

Search and Rescue

• Combined management of assets is essential to providing affordable and reliable services to citizens in the CVRD.

Victim Services

• Comox Valley Regional District finance staff either assist in the management of the operational contracts that support two of these agencies and/or review and query the submissions of others to ensure long-term fiscal sustainability and benefits.

Cemetery, Airport, Shelter Land

• Comox Valley Regional District finance staff either assist in the management of the operational contracts that support two of these agencies and/or review and query the submissions of others to ensure long-term fiscal sustainability and benefits.

Community Justice

• Comox Valley Regional District finance staff either assist in the management of the operational contracts that support two of these agencies and/or review and query the submissions of others to ensure long-term fiscal sustainability and benefits.

CV Tourism Service

• The 2022 financial plan includes a decrease in the tax requisition in the amount of $748,253 from 2021 as well as leverages funding from non-governmental grants.

Exhibition Grounds

•  The CVEG has maintenance and upgrading plans projected in future years.
• The requisition for 2022 is unchanged over the prior year and remains flat over the five-year financial plan.

Recreation Complexes

• An asset inventory and life cycle costing report were recently completed and will inform future asset management upgrades at both facilities.
• The CVSC and CVAC both have major maintenance and replacement plans projected in future years.

Recreation Grants

• The cost is shared across the region for recreation programs provided by other agencies and non-profits.

Track and Field

• The turf fields and track both have major maintenance and replacement plans projected in future years, therefore ongoing reserve contributions of $100,000+ annually ensure these improvements can be completed to ensure ongoing service delivery.

Homelessness Supports Service

• Careful management of services and assets is essential to providing affordable and reliable services to citizens and businesses in the CVRD. In 2021/ 2022 the majority of the requisition is derived from senior government grant funding.

Regional Growth Strategy

• Careful management of services and assets is essential to providing affordable and reliable services to citizens and businesses in the CVRD. In the past two years, staff have obtained significant grant funding to undertake projects within the service. 
• Staff have sought efficiencies for through collaboration with all service participants and have recommended allocations to replenish the reserve fund.

CV Sewerage Services

• The CVSS is facing a period of intense capital spending over the next 15 years due to the age and capacity of infrastructure and the resolution of environmental risk.
• A review of options to phase or stage capital upgrades to spread out impact to users has been considered in development of the capital upgrade plan moving forward, as well as a wholesome funding strategy that utilizes both reserves and debt and ensures that both current and future ratepayers fund long service life upgrades and also ensures funding capacity remains for the municipal infrastructure systems with moderate and incremental revenue increases.

Jackson Drive Sewer

• A review of the Jackson Drive asset management plan was completed in 2020 to ensure adequate reserves are being collected to fund system replacement.
• With only 16 participants, even small increases in operational needs and/or capital works requirements for the service can have a significant impact on parcel tax rates.

King Coho Wastewater

• With only 37 participants, even small increases in operational needs and/or capital works requirements for the service can have a significant impact on parcel tax rates.
• Community Work Funds were used to complete the wastewater treatment plant upgrades to reduce the impact on residents.

CV Transit

• CVRD and BC Transit regularly review the operation of the transit system to identify efficiency and cost savings opportunities.
• The transit budget includes cost increases associated with maintaining service levels during the 5th Street Bridge rehabilitation project and improving service gaps in the Back Road area.

BCOB

• A comprehensive rate review for the service was scheduled for 2020 but has been postponed until 2022 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 
• The proposed financial plan includes rate increases for 2022 to ensure the service does not go into deficit while the comprehensive rate review is completed.

CV Water Local Service Areas

• An interim nine per cent increase to rates was approved in 2019 and took effect April 2020. 
• The purpose of this increase was to avoid running a service deficit and ensure adequate reserve contributions while a rate review is completed.
• A comprehensive rate review for the service was scheduled for 2020 but has been postponed; the rate review will be completed in 2022 to ensure sustainable service delivery moving forward.

CV Water System

• Revenue for the service is largely derived from the sale of bulk water. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, bulk water rates are temporarily decreasing for 2021 and 2022. 
• Impacts to reserve contributions will be mitigated by decreased operating expenses.
• The water treatment project was over 50 per cent funded by senior government grants.

Water - Denman Island

• GLID manages the day to day operations of DIWLSA to reduce CVRD operating costs of the system.
• The successful grant application to upgrade the water treatment system will minimize the financial impact of this project on GLID and DIWLSA property owners.

Water - Royston

• A comprehensive rate review will be completed in 2022 to ensure sustainable service delivery moving forward.

Water - Union Bay

• A water master planning process for the water service is underway and will be complete in spring 2022.
• A comprehensive rate review for the service is scheduled for 2023.
• The proposed financial plan includes a rate increase for 2022 to ensure the service does not go into deficit while the planning work and subsequent rate review is completed.