March 15, 2018 - Islands Trust Council Approves 2018/19 Budget

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Bowen, Denman, Hornby,  Gabriola, Galiano, Gambier, Lasqueti, Mayne, N. Pender, Salt Spring, Saturna, S. Pender, Thetis 
 
 
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March 15, 2018           2018-04-IT 
 
Islands Trust Council Approves 2018-2019 Budget 
 
Salt Spring Island - The Islands Trust Council approved a budget of $7.86 million for 2018-2019 at its March 
14
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meeting on Salt Spring Island. Details of the approved budget are available on the Islands Trust website.  
 
"This budget allows Trust Council to maintain and improve service levels in a number of key areas,” said Peter 
Luckham, Chair of the Islands Trust Council. “The approved budget reflects input from trustees, staff, and the 
public. Thank you to everyone who provided input.”  
 
The approved budget includes a net increase of $357,623 over the 2017-2018 budget and is supported by a 2% 
increase in revenue from property taxes (except for Bowen Island), as well as a draw from general reserve funds. 
This is the first property tax increase since 2012.  
 
The Islands Trust Council is in the final year of a four-year term and many trust-wide and local trust committee 
projects are well underway. Funded initiatives include a temporary freshwater specialist position, a new program 
coordinator position, and on-going projects focused on ecosystem protection, First Nation relations, and public 
engagement. The budget also includes funding for local trust committee projects and for one-time initiatives such 
as necessary software and building upgrades and the administration of the 2018 local government elections. New 
and one-time initiatives are largely funded by either a transfer from the General Revenue Surplus Fund or from 
grants, while a Salt Spring Island special property tax requisition funds co-ordination of watershed management on 
Salt Spring Island. 
 
“For any government, an election year is a time for renewal,” said Luckham. “The current Trust Council feels that, 
working with our partner agencies, this budget puts us in a stable position to advance our mandate to preserve and 
protect the Islands Trust Area and to continue advocacy on the issues that unite all island communities.” 
 
Property owners within the Bowen Island Municipality will contribute $293,463 in 2018-2019, an increase of 
$50,783. As residents within the Islands Trust Area, Bowen Island taxpayers contribute a proportional share of the 
operating costs of Trust Council and the Trust Fund Board as defined by the provincial Islands Trust Act and by a 
provincially legislated formula based on property assessments. 
 
The Islands Trust Council is a federation of local government bodies representing 26,000 people living within the 
Islands Trust Area and another 10,000 non-resident property-owners. The

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