Public Input Sought for Sooke Financial Plan
Sooke, BC – November 17, 2009
Residents of the District of Sooke will have their first opportunity to provide input into the
preparation of the community’s five-year financial plan during a public Town Hall meeting
to be held at the Sooke Community Hall on Monday, November 30th.
The 2010-2014 Financial Plan will provide a framework which, when combined with the
Sooke Town Centre Plan and draft Official Community Plan, will guide the District for the
next five years.
“While the preparation of a financial plan may seem like a whole lot of numbers, the final
outcome provides important and exciting direction to Council and staff,” Director of
Finance Dave Devana explained. “Notwithstanding all the great accomplishments of the
past 10 years since incorporation, this financial plan may be the most important as we
develop financial strategies to implement the overall vision provided in the Sooke Town
Centre Plan and draft OCP.”
The financial plan will be developed over the next few months, with the public invited to
attend and provide input. To help the District move forward toward a financially
sustainable future, a number of key issues will be considered including:
1) What level of property taxes are citizens prepared to pay, while at the same time
recognizing that services levels directly impact taxation levels?
2) How will targeted higher density growth in the Sooke Town Centre (and other
growth nodes) reduce the overall tax burden on the residential tax base?
3) Given the anticipated growth in the Sooke Town Centre, what road projects
identified in the Transportation Master Plan must be completed in the next five
years to reduce traffic congestion, and most importantly how will these projects
be financed and by whom?
4) Given the Sooke Town Centre Plan recommends a new main street linking
Sooke Road and the Sooke Basin, how and when will this road be constructed,
and by whom?
5) In accordance with the Parks and Trails Master Plan, what parks and trails
projects should be completed (e.g. Galloping Goose Trail connection to Sooke
Town Centre, boardwalk expansion, etc.)?
6) How will the District’s municipal operations meet the obligation to be carbon
neutral by 2012, and more importantly, how will the community reduce its carbon
emissions by 33% by 2020?
“There is no question that transportation issues will be highlighted in the 2010 – 2014
Financial Plan,” Devana said. “Council will need to consider the merits of how to
complete segments of the ‘alternative connector’ between Grant Road and Phillips Road
to enable residents to travel between Grant and Phillips Road without the use of Sooke
Road.
“Council will also be considering how and when to allocate Road Development Costs
Charges, which are collected from the development community, to this key
transportation link.”
The District of Sooke continues to build on the success of previous advancements. The
completion in 2006 of the sanitary wastewater treatment facility and distribution system
with the assistance of an $8.8 million grant made Sooke the first municipality in the
Capital Regional District to provide secondary treatment to its wastewater. The main
priority of this system was to clean and protect the marine environment in the Sooke
Harbour and Basin but it has also allowed for growth to be targeted to areas like the
Sooke Town Centre. The completion of the system was the catalyst that made the vision
of the Sooke Town Centre Plan and draft OCP possible.
“In addition to the five year plan Council will adopt, Sooke is going to experience some
exciting change over the next year with major new projects coming to the community,”
Devana said. “The construction of the Prestige Hotel and Conference Centre has begun,
and Phase One of the Mariner’s Village Development is expected in the spring of 2010.”
Mariner’s Village is a 12-acre waterfront mixed-use development in the Sooke Town
Centre with up to 475 residential dwelling units (condos and townhouses), a further
10,000 square meters of commercial space and a 170-slip marina. It is comprised of a
number of properties located in the 6500-block of Sooke Road.
“This new development will enhance our diverse local business community,” Devana
explained. “Our goal is to continue to encourage commercial and industrial businesses
to locate their operations in Sooke through incentive programs and innovative ventures.
Development and increases in the commercial tax base will provide funding for improved
road networks, acquiring trails and open spaces, including further waterfront trail
connections, revitalizing the downtown, providing affordable housing and implementing
sustainability policies. “
The District of Sooke is encouraging its residents to come out and participate in the
development of the 2010-2014 Financial Plan. The next opportunity will be at the Sooke
Town Hall Meeting, Monday, November 30, 2009 from 4-8 p.m. at the Sooke Community
Hall.
For more information, contact:
Dave Devana, Director of Finance
tel: (250) 642-1634 fax: (250) 642-0541
email: ddevana@sooke.ca