WATCH: A new report suggests municipal revenue in Metro Vancouver has gone up 80% over the last decade while services are not increasing at the same rate. Ted Chernecki explains.
A new study by the Fraser Institute finds argues while more money is being put into municipal governments, municipal services aren’t keeping pace.
In the report, titled “The State of Municipal Finances in Metro Vancouver”, 21 municipalities were examined from 2002 to 2012.
During that time, total municipal spending increased from $1.9 billion to $3.3 billion – a 74 per cent spending increase the Fraser Institute says is much higher than provincial or federal governments.
“In city halls from Vancouver to Coquitlam, government officials often claim to be revenue-starved, but in reality, overall municipal revenues are growing quite rapidly. The real problem at the municipal level is poor control of spending,” said co-authour of the study Charles Lammam in a statement.
The largest increases in spending have come in waste and utilities (42.6 per cent), parks, recreation and culture (38.6 per cent) and general administration (35.3 per cent).
– With files from Ted Chernecki
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