A property tax hike, municipal job cuts, reduction in services across city departments and a spike in parking fees are required to balance Vancouver's 2010 budget, city council heard yesterday.
City Manager Penny Ballem updated councilors on proposed measures for seven departments to create $17 million in savings to bridge a $28.1 million budget gap.
City staff is looking to axe 158 positions by shaving hours from full-time, part-time and temporary workers.
Ballem unveiled a laundry list of service cuts, which includes chopping a medical response unit from Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services, a reduction in street cleaning services, and fast-tracking scheduled library closures among a host of other programs.
"We've worked very, very hard to really focus on what are absolutely core and real-need services that we don't want to impact at all and where are areas ... where we can look at things and see how we're doing," Ballem said.
Taxpayers could be asked to cover the remaining $11 million through two per cent property tax increase.
The city could also generate $2 million in new parking revenue.
"We have had a lot of feedback and this is something council has talked to us about," Ballem said. "We continue to be a bit of a deal in terms of parking, especially in the downtown core, but other parts of the city."
A final decision on Vancouver's 2010 budget is expected Dec. 15.
