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Council heard presentations Tuesday from senior city staff, and from some of the 38 speakers who had signed up to address council on the budget, including local business improvement associations, activists, cultural organizations, members of the public, and representatives of the firefighters, police, outside workers and library unions.

Council was expected to continue hearing from speakers on the budget until late Tuesday night, and to meet next week for further deliberation and to vote on the budget.

Photo by Darryl Dyck / THE CANADIAN PRESS

Mayor Kennedy Stewart said Tuesday that he plans to support the budget.

“Nobody likes to pay new taxes, but for an average condo owner, this will mean about $3 a month (increase over 2018) that they’ll be paying,” Stewart told reporters in a break during council. “I’ll be supporting the budget, I’ve looked at it very carefully and sat through many briefings by staff … Although I’d like (the tax increase) to be zero, I think this is a prudent budget.”

A significant portion of the 4.9 per cent property tax increase for 2019 is attributed to B.C.’s new Employer Health Tax, introduced by the provincial government to replace the Medical Services Plan (MSP) premiums which will be eliminated by 2020.

However, the budget notes, “while this is an increased cost to the City in 2019, the City can expect a marginal positive financial impact in 2020 upon the elimination of MSP premiums.”

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For most of those around the council chambers, this represents their first crack at a city budget. While the mayor and eight of 10 councillors were only sworn in last month, the 491-page budget (plus 135 pages of reports, 76 pages of appendices, a 51-page presentation and 11 pages of memos) generated questions from even council’s most experienced member, Green Coun. Adriane Carr, who mentioned she had already sent 59 questions to city staff.