Priority One - A Freeze in the Tax Rate for 3 years

This is not an easy task, it would take a Council with the willpower to look at each item dispassionately.  We have to do a full program review with the aim of not increasing the tax rate. 

Every program and function funded in our City Budget has to be assessed to see if we still need it and if at the current level of funding. Council should save their passion for our overtaxed neighbors who are having a hard time to make ends meet.

As my part I would take a pay cut of $20,000 and not take the $9500 car allowance.

Council itself has do its part by canceling luxury items like the free Council/Staff dinners before every meeting.  The sister city program has to end, no more unproductive trips to Japan and China even if partially subsidized by our provincial tax dollars.   In fact, there should a limit of 3 conventions per year that members of Council can be reimbursed for.

Although it is from their budget, I will donate all after tax pay received from Metro Vancouver to local North Van City charities.

Our City has many funding challenges including the new sewer treatment plant and we cannot be discounting a single way of saving money.  The current collective agreement with CUPE 389 runs out at the end of the year, there is no way we can afford to paying as much as we did last time.

In the long run only amalgamation will provide any tax savings past the first three years.