New Year’s Council Resolutions Questionnaire (2026)
Each City Councilor has been asked to complete the following questionnaire. Their answers will be published on a separate page on Voice of Nanaimo to help inform Nanaimo voters in advance of the Oct. election.
Purpose: This is a public accountability questionnaire for current members of Nanaimo City Council. Each councillor’s answers will be published exactly as received (light formatting only for readability).
Instructions to Councillors:
Please answer all 10 questions.
Keep each answer under 120 words.
Where asked for a number, provide a number (not a general statement).
If your answer is “No,” briefly state why and what you would do instead.
Return by: January 15, 2026
The 10 Questions
1) Affordability Guardrail
Resolution: I will support an affordability policy that ties total City property tax increases to a clear limit.
Question: What limit will you support for City property taxes in 2026–2029 (e.g., CPI, CPI+1, fixed %)? What happens when staff present a budget above that limit?
2) Full-Bill Truth-in-Taxation
Resolution: I will stop allowing “City-only” headlines to obscure total household impact.
Question: Will you support publishing a simple “Total Bill Impact” table each year (City + utilities + all major lines that appear on the property tax bill) in every budget communication? Yes/No. If yes, when will you motion it?
3) Core Services Review
Resolution: I will support an independent Core Services Review focused on value-for-money and service levels.
Question: Will you support launching a Core Services Review in 2026? Yes/No. If yes, should it be independent third-party or staff-led, and what is your target start date?
4) Service-Level Dashboard
Resolution: I will require measurable service targets—not just plans and press releases.
Question: Will you support a public quarterly dashboard with at least 10 core metrics (roads, water, sewer, permits, emergency response support, parks maintenance, etc.) tied to budget lines? Yes/No. Name 3 metrics you insist be included.
5) Staffing Growth Discipline
Resolution: I will treat staffing growth as a cost driver that must be justified publicly.
Question: What is your position on net new FTE growth for 2026 (increase, freeze, reduce)? Provide a specific target: +X / 0 / –X FTE, and the rule you’ll use to approve any exception.
6) Asset Management and Infrastructure Backlog
Resolution: I will prioritize basic infrastructure reliability before discretionary expansions.
Question: What are your top 3 infrastructure priorities for 2026–2028 (roads, water, sewer, stormwater, facilities, etc.), and what measurable outcome should residents see by end of 2026?
7) Borrowing, Debt, and Future Taxes
Resolution: I will not support borrowing decisions that hide long-term tax impacts.
Question: What is your policy on new long-term borrowing: under what conditions would you vote Yes, and do you support a public “debt + annual debt servicing impact” summary for every major project vote? Yes/No.
8) Contract and Change-Order Transparency
Resolution: I will support stronger transparency on contracts, overruns, and change orders.
Question: Will you support publishing an online, searchable contract register that includes vendor, original contract value, approved change orders, and final cost for major projects? Yes/No. If yes, what dollar threshold triggers disclosure?
9) Public Engagement and Meeting Openness
Resolution: I will support public trust by expanding—not shrinking—civic access and scrutiny.
Question: Will you support allowing the public to record council meetings, and will you support improving public input rules (clearer delegation pathways, published speaking limits, consistent enforcement)? Yes/No. Give one specific change you will champion.
10) Climate and Resilience With Cost Discipline
Resolution: I will support climate/resilience actions that are costed, measurable, and do not undermine affordability.
Question: Will you support a rule that any new climate initiative must include: (1) capital cost, (2) annual operating cost, (3) measurable outcome, and (4) identified trade-off or funding source? Yes/No. Name one climate/resilience action you support and how you’d pay for it.
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