“The TNRD should pay for it.”
I hear that often, as I’m sure other regional directors do.
It being the time of year when the Thompson North Regional District (TNRD) polishes up its financial plan, it’s appropriate to talk about money. It’s spent differently in regional districts than it is in municipalities.
In the city, everybody pretty much pays for the same services. Their taxes go into a big pot that’s then directed to everything from policing to parks to potholes throughout the city.
In the unincorporated areas of the regional district, no two communities are alike. For example, in Electoral Area P, McLure has a fire department but no community water system. Black Pines and Evergreen have water systems but no fire departments.
Pritchard North has a water system, a sewer system, a fire department and street lights.
While those things are paid for by people within certain communities, some things are paid for by everyone, such as libraries, including the Bookmobile. Other things are paid for by everyone in certain electoral areas, or groups of electoral areas, such as mosquito control and dangerous-dog control.
When somebody says, “The TNRD should pay for it,” they usually mean all regional taxpayers should pay for a particular service, but as I’ve outlined above, many services are specific to one particular part of the TNRD. Residents of each community decide which services they want to pay for. Sometimes, the TNRD is simply the vehicle for collecting the necessary funding.
When someone becomes frustrated with regional government, chances are it has to do with money — they feel their taxes are too high for what they’re getting. The answers are in the budget.
The regional budget is hard enough for directors to wade through, let alone taxpayers, and almost nobody does it. When the TNRD held an open house on the budget recently in its boardroom, guess how many people showed up, other than staff and a couple of board members (including me)? Zero. Nobody.
In my view, participatory budgeting is one of the biggest challenges facing the TNRD because when it comes to what the TNRD does and can do, the budget is the source of all understanding. We have to find ways to take the budget out of the boardroom and
into communities.
The TNRD, like any other government, isn’t perfect because people aren’t perfect. The more that taxpayers know about it, the stronger it becomes.
Participatory budgeting — that is, where taxpayers have a chance to influence where money is spent — is a two-way street. The TNRD needs to up its game in a way that people can see how the budget affects their wallets. Then, taxpayers are in a better position to provide feedback.
What if the TNRD was to take a few minutes to talk about the budget during the many meetings it holds in the region throughout the year, not just at budget time?
I think it would help. Don’t be surprised if, at future community meetings involving the TNRD, the budget becomes a more prominent part of the agenda.
What did you think of this story?
Your feedback after we publish a story helps ensure we're always improving our reporting to better serve you.
