Mission council will reconsider a spending package for two new firefighters in January.
During budget discussions in November, council voted 4-2 against a spending package to expand Mission Fire Rescue Service’s medic truck by adding two firefighters.
Coun. Jag Gill and Coun. Angel Elias voted in favour of adding the firefighters, while Coun. Carol Hamilton was absent from the meeting.
At Monday’s (Dec. 2) council meeting, Elias brought the matter back for reconsideration.
“As a council, we frequently discuss the challenges we face in terms of playing catch up, particularly because councils have fallen short in their efforts to expand and improve services or we've just not been able to keep up with the growth and expansion of our city,” Elias said.
Elias compared Mission’s crew of firefighters to other B.C. cities with a similar population size and more firefighters. She said the city should follow the fire master plan that focused on increasing the number of firefighters annually.
“If we fail to stay true to our commitments and neglect to plan for the future, we risk leaving significant servicing gaps. These gaps will inevitably burden future councils with the daunting task of trying to rectify the situation,” Elias said.
She noted the need to support firefighters so they don't burn out.
Council voted 4-3 for the reconsideration to be deferred to January when the latest growth revenue numbers are known and budget talks resume. Coun. Carol Hamilton, Coun. Danny Plecas and Mayor Paul Horn opposed the reconsideration
Horn said he voted against the reconsideration because he didn’t want to provide hope that he would change his mind when it's unlikely.
With a resolution during the last budget meeting that the 2025 tax increase wouldn’t exceed 6.65 per cent, Horn said reconsideration would likely mean cutting elsewhere.
“The problem is the math doesn't math here,” Horn said.
He went on to say: “I'm not sure it passes the threshold of where I would, in actuality, likely change my mind. We'd have to get [an assessment] roll of $1.3 [million] which we're not even dreaming of.”
Horn says there needs to be a balanced approach to public safety and affordability.
“If you can't feed your kids nutritious food, that wins out for me," he said.
The mayor said the city is likely to be behind regardless of the decision.
“[The] argument that's been put forward here is, ‘let's do that in a way that doesn't overburden the taxpayer’. That is exactly my challenge as it would overburden the taxpayer this year in a way that I've not seen in my time being on council or sitting in this chamber as a member of the community,” he said.
Elias closed the discussion by reiterating the future need for firefighters and public safety staffing.
“Let's get real – our taxes are never going to go lower. This is where we're always going to be. Every year at tax season, we're going to have to make tough decisions. Growth revenue may go up, but costs are going to continue to rise, and expenses are going to continue to happen, and we're going to have to continue putting in services for the community that keeps growing. As we keep on approving all these developments ... with all of these high rises, we need to have the firefighters, and we need to have the equipment," she said.
Meanwhile, Coun. Mark Davies and Coun. Ken Herar voted against the spending package during the earlier budget discussions but voted in favour of the reconsideration on Monday. Davies said he wanted to hear back from staff in January on the final growth revenue number and other potential savings.
“I don't have the information that can really make me feel that I've made a full and well-versed decision. Now it may indeed turn out in January that it's simply not possible. And I'll have to make that decision at that point in time. And I will make that decision if I need to, but at this point in time I don't know and that's why I will support the deferral,” Davies said.
