TEAM PROPOSES FISCAL FRAMEWORK FOR CITY BUDGET
Services · Stability · Safety Guarantee would prioritize frontline services, limit property tax increases and review City spending
VANCOUVER, September 25 — TEAM for a Livable Vancouver today announced a fiscal framework that would guide City budgeting under a TEAM administration.
The Services · Stability · Safety Guarantee has three priorities:
Investing in core services
“Residents should be able to expect reliable services and predictable taxes from their City government,” says TEAM mayoral candidate Colleen Hardwick. “We will stop Ken Sim’s approach of playing politics with property taxes and prioritize basic infrastructure like roads, sidewalks, parks, and public safety first.”
Keeping property taxes predictable
TEAM’s Predictable Property Tax Pledge establishes a clear rule: annual property-tax increases will not exceed inflation. This will provide households and businesses with greater certainty while requiring City Hall to manage spending within a predictable fiscal framework.
Conducting a Line-By-Line Budget Review
TEAM will conduct a comprehensive line-by-line review of the City’s Operating and Capital budgets to cut spending that cannot demonstrate sufficient value, and redirect savings to municipal priorities.
“I introduced a similar measure while I was on Council, but despite campaigning on a line-by-line budget review in 2022, Ken Sim never got it done,” says Hardwick. She points to the fact that many of the city’s largest departments were excluded from Sim’s budget task force. “A TEAM council will go line by line through City spending to make sure residents are getting value for their tax dollars,” Hardwick says.
Spending that cannot demonstrate sufficient value will be reduced, and the resulting savings will be redirected toward roads, sidewalks, infrastructure, cleanliness, parks and public safety.
