Affordability

Like many, Noah has been concerned by the trend in recent years for senior levels of government to download, inadvertently or otherwise, their responsibilities to local government. Childcare, Healthcare, Public Safety, Housing, Economic Development. Municipal governments have no choice but to take it on - they are the front line to the local community. Many municipalities have faced more or less double digit tax increases year after year this last term and Sooke is no different.

Cutting staff as a solution to budget shortfalls and vacillating between frustrations over not having enough staff to get anything done in a timely matter and then later decrying that staffing levels are too bloated is no way to build a reputable organization. It has nothing to do with the basis of running the organization, is entirely reactionary and in Noah's opinion, shortsighted. While the District of Sooke is not a business, it must still be businesslike. Ensuring staffing levels are appropriate and regularly reviewing performance so that services are provided professionally and in a timely manner is absolutely necessary. Neglecting staffing needs will diminish the capacity of the district to plan for the future, leading us to rely more heavily on consultants when needs arise.

It is important to also invest in asset management at a sufficient level to reduce the tax impact of high ticket repairs. Our sewer system and road network both need money set aside to ensure catastrophic failures can be avoided or at least addressed promptly and affordably.

Noah believes council can best address affordability by adhering to a schedule of core service reviews and department efficiency assessments, reducing consultant use to the bare minimum, eliminating studies/reports that go nowhere, reallocating existing resources to ensure today’s dollars aren’t spent on outdated priorities of past councils, and going through the budget line-by-line. By staying focused on the basics and challenging ourselves to always do better, we can deliver the level of services residents expect with the fiscal responsibility they deserve.

How else do we buck the trend? Economic Development. The District's power to press the EC DEV button and add more commercial activity is pretty limited. Attractive rates and regulation help, but to have staff dedicated to marketing Sooke also makes a lot of sense. There are regional EC DEV groups that we can be members of and rely on to include us in their advocacy, and in some cases that would be to our advantage, but the focus won't always be on Sooke. Noah seeks to review any such arrangements to ensure they are providing good value for taxpayers.

Ultimately there are a broader range of factors to influence how economic development proceeds in Sooke and not the least of which is our location. Sooke needs to lean into it.  Continue to grow and encourage jobs by supporting industrial and commercial uses while steadily improving the local infrastructure. Increase the heat on the province to upgrade the highway so more businesses are comfortable locating here. Noah thinks this is the way forward long term, but in the interim he is prepared to engage in the annual debate over the property tax increase and pledges to do so in a transparent and respectful fashion focused on the facts of the year at hand.

Another aspect of affordability is housing. Noah sees that in the coming years, "living up Sooke" is going to look a lot different. Mixed use five and six storied wood frame apartment buildings have arrived and there are going to be more in the pipeline. These additional residents living right in the town core accompanied by new commercial spaces have the potential to increase the level of and even drive new kinds of economic activity in Sooke, possibly providing services that you would previously have had to leave to obtain. Moreover it will add vibrancy to our town core and as these more affordable options come on line, this may also free up naturally occurring affordable housing such as suites and "fixer uppers".