Derek Kilbourn
Sounder News
This Wednesday, Sept. 18, the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District Board (Fire Board) will be hosting a Special General Meeting to solicit feedback from the public on the proposed tax levy for 2025, as well as the draft Long Range Plan for the Gabriola Volunteer Fire Department.
The meeting is scheduled for 7pm at the Albert Reed Memorial Fire Hall #1.
Both documents have been posted to the Gabriola Volunteer Fire Department website at www.gabriolafire.ca
The budget shows an overall tax increase of 38% for 2025 over the 2024 budget.
The Operations budget shows an overall 28% increase, with a 25% increase in Wages and Benefits, a 48% increase in Truck Operation Costs, and 171% increase in Professional Fees.
Under the Capital side of the budget, Capital Replacement is up 150% from $80,000 to $200,000; the Contingency Fund is doubling from $5,000 to $10,000; and Reserves are increasing 97% from $160,000 to $315,000.
Total budget will increase from $1,021,958 in 2024 to $1,406,023.
In a statement accompanying the proposed budget, the Fire Board states that the 2025 has three objectives.
“The first is that staff and membership of the Fire Department will eventually meet British Columbia’s averages for wages and salaries.
The second is to build up capital reserves that will meet future demands of the Fire Department and Gabriola’s community.
The third, is that 2025 Levy is part of a much larger project. This Levy should be read along side the GFPID’ Long Range Plan as it is the first of many steps towards achieving the Fire Department’s primary objective which is safeguarding Gabriola’s community, infrastructure, and wildland to the highest standards possible.”
The Board adds that it, “acknowledges that a 38% increase in next year’s budget is significant.
“As outlined in this proposal, this levy is part of a broader plan. The incrase is necessary to address future unfunded liabilities, align staff and membership wages with provincial averages, and establish a strategy where future levy increases are more closely aligned with inflation and population growth rates.”
The purpose of the draft Long Range Plan is, according to the Board, to provide a framework to plan for the future of the Fire District and GVFD.
It is considered a living document, and as such it will be reviewed and amended throughout the 10-year period.
The first comprehensive long range plan for the Fire District was written by Albert Reed in 1999.
The Board states that in producing the 2025-2034 Long Range Plan, the previou plan and various reports were reviewed, and public input was sought through meetings and via a survey made available online and in paper.
One of the significant elements highlighted by the Board in the long range plan is the completion of a 10-year Proposed Long Range Financial Plan – this would encompass all aspects of the GVFD operations. To meet the long range needs, the recommendation from the proposed Plan is the increase seen in the 2025 budget, with declining increases in each of the subsequent four years, leveling out in 2029.
The 10-year project Operations budget, included in the draft Long Range Plan posted to the GVFD, shows the 28% increase in the Operations budget, followed by a 15.8% increase in 2026; 10.7% in 2027, 9.9% in 2028; and an average of 5% increase per year between 2029 and 2034. The Operations budget is proposed to increase from $803,458 in 2024 to $1,992,462 in 2034.
The Long Range Plan does not include any plans for the repair or replacement of Hall #2. As the GVFD does not currently own the land, discussions are ongoing to obtain ownership. No major upgrades will be undertaken until the land title has been transferred.
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