These are the instructions we've received:
"After discussing each of the advisory committee’s proposed topics it was decided that the standing committee would request that Council approve the topic of revenue generating ideas for the City: How do we grow and where? Business generates a tax base to make cities more sustainable. How do we maximize the status of Victoria being the capital? How do you grow the tax base? This would ensure that the City is resilient and sustainable."
I'm baffled as to why they thought the CDPAC would be helpful on this. this is our terms of reference:
- Arts & culture policies, programs and facilities.
- Policies and programs aimed at developing community capacity.
- Economic development policies and initiatives.
- Parks & Recreation facilities, programs and services.
- Policies and programs to support affordable housing development.
- Policies to support community social service delivery.
- Policies to support community livability, particularly Downtown.
"The Committee has chosen the following topics for discussion:
Arts and Culture initiatives
Housing and Homelessness
Community Capacity building
The Official Community Plan and its relationship to community capacity
The concept of Transition Town"
we were then advised by CD standing committee that:
"Many of the suggested topics are already being examined at other levels. For example, the OCP is being discussed in two other committees. Community Capacity building also has a CAC involved. It was thought that updates for both of these items could be forwarded regularly to the CDPAC for information.
There is a need to clarify the process of how items are referred to the committees: the standing committee can refer items to the advisory committee, Council can refer to the advisory committee and the advisory committee can request to work on items but Council is ultimately in control of what the committees work on."
This will no doubt be a matter of discussion at our January meeting. Community Capacity is after all on on terms of reference, so I think we can be excused for thinking that we would be discussing it.
Anyway, regardless of these minor issues, we have quite the task ahead of us. Growing the tax base is not my area of expertise, but I have been doing some research and I see why the council is asking for help wherever they can find it. Along the same lines, I'm doing my own 'crowdsourcing' on this. So the question for this thread (I've you're still reading) is what revenue generating ideas might you suggest? Is it a matter of generating new revenue, or should council just be trying to do more with less?