March 15, 2019 - Islands Trust Council Approves 2019/20 Budget

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Bowen, Denman, Hornby,  Gabriola, Galiano, Gambier, Lasqueti, Mayne, N. Pender, Salt Spring, Saturna, S. Pender, Thetis 
 
 
News Release 
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March 15, 2019           2019-06-IT 
 
 
 
ISLANDS TRUST COUNCIL APPROVES 2019/20 BUDGET 
 
Gabriola Island—The Islands Trust Council approved a budget of $7.94 million for 2019/20 at its March 13
th 
meeting 
on Gabriola Island. Details of the approved budget are available on the Islands Trust website.  
 
"The approved budget will support the important work of preserving and protecting the Trust Area on both a local 
and regional level,” said Peter Luckham, Chair of the Islands Trust Council. “It enables us to maintain existing 
services, while meeting other strategic needs. Input that we received from trustees, staff, and, in record numbers, 
from the public informed the budget process. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share your insights. We 
truly value the thoughtful responses we received.”  
 
For this financial year, Trust Council is budgeting for a 2.3% decrease in total expenditures from the 2018/19 
budget. As Trust Council will be drawing less funds from its reserve fund than it did in the previous financial year 
($156,000 as opposed to $605,000), the 2019/20 budget is funded by a 2.0% tax increase overall for the Islands 
Trust Area (other than Bowen Island).  
 
The budget results in a 12.1% increase for Bowen Island taxpayers who contribute a proportional share of the 
operating costs of federation-wide services, such as Trust Council and Islands Trust Conservancy meetings and 
programs. Each year, for Bowen Island, Islands Trust staff use the formula established by provincial legislation and 
Islands Trust policy to calculate the amount to requisition. To inform development of future budgets, Trust 
Council’s Financial Planning Committee has requested staff to review the formula used to determine Bowen Island’s 
contribution to the Islands Trust budget. Staff will provide this analysis to the Financial Planning Committee in May. 
 
In addition to supporting the work of local trust committees, Trust Council, and Islands Trust Conservancy projects, 
the approved budget funds a 2.0% wage increase for all union staff, per the BCGEU Collective Agreement, a 2.3% 
increase to trustee remuneration (per Trust Council’s policy on Trustee Remuneration). It also includes an 
additional amount to fund the newly legislated provincial health tax. 
 
Other initiatives funded through the approved budget include improvements to the Islands Trust websites, 
increased outreach to landowners about opportunities for protecting their land, and a public engagement project 
about possible updates the Policy Statement, the document that underpins and guides the work of the Tru

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