What should Coquitlam council spend more money on: policing or parks?
You can decide how the city doles out taxpayers’ cash through an online budget consultation tool, as municipal staff prepare for next year’s financial plan.
The Citizen Budget tool, which is available through the budget page on the city's website until Sept. 30, gives residents insight on how the city balances its books and pays for core services and programs.
These include policing and fire; parks, recreation and culture; transportation; capital construction; planning and development; and utilities.
Residents can create a mock city budget based on their households’ priorities and send the feedback to the city before council deliberations begin in November.
The 2021 budget that was adopted last December was a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with temporary changes to operations and additional response supports.
The city lost many of its typical revenue streams in 2020 and 2021, including development, recreation fees and rentals, as well as from Hard Rock Casino Vancouver of which the city receives 10% of its net proceeds as host to the gambling venue; it reopened in July.
It’s expected the city will return to pre-pandemic levels next year.
