The Burnaby First Coalition is calling on the City of Burnaby to be more transparent when it comes to the city’s finances.
At a press conference outside city hall before Monday’s council meeting, BFC supporters highlighted issues ranging from the secrecy surrounding Burnaby’s collective agreement with CUPE Local 23 to a five-year tax surplus of nearly $482 million sitting in the city reserves.
“‘As it stands, British Columbia’s largest municipalities have a serious accountability deficit,’” said BFC supporter and former Green Party candidate Rick McGowan. “I didn’t say that – if it sounds familiar, it’s because it was stated by the BCA’s friend and my NDP MP Kennedy Stewart in 2005.”
McGowan noted that since 2009, the tax levy for Burnaby residents has increased by 25 per cent, which, paired with overestimated expenditure forecasts and underestimated revenue projections, has led to the eight- and nine-figure annual surpluses.
“As a result of this flawed budgeting process and no oversight, we see tens, even hundreds of millions of dollars of taxes and user fees being transferred from our pockets to the city reserves,” he said.
The BFC also questioned why some workers making more than $75,000 are receiving significant raises year after year, while the salary total for city employees making under that amount has hovered around $80.8 million over the past three years.
As reported by the NOW last month, the city’s latest Statement of Financial Information revealed the 2013 salaries of all City of Burnaby employees. The largest raise went to planning and building director Lou Pelletier, who made nearly $30,000 more in 2013 than 2012.
The number of employees making more than $75,000 has increased by 20.5 per cent since 2011, and the overall wage total for those employees has increased by $10.5 million in the same period.
Coun. Dan Johnston, who chairs the city’s finance and civic development committee, could not be reached for comment by the NOW’s deadline.
While Burnaby First’s slate has not been officially announced, the conference was attended by former independent council candidate Nick Kvenich, former TEAM Burnaby mayoral candidate Tom Tao, former Parents’ Voice schoolboard candidates Helen Ward and Charter Lau, retired teacher and Vancouver School Board administrator Ben Seebaran, and BFC supporter Linda Hancott.
