THE City of North Vancouver's newly released annual report is chock full of municipal achievements in everything from voter turnout to greenhouse gas reduction.
The 2011 overview, presented to council late last month, highlights several awards the city won for budget presentation and city planning, an increase in voter turnout of 3.5 per cent in last year's municipal election, a reduction in break and enters in Lower Lonsdale of 58 per cent, the creation of affordable seniors' rental housing and a drop in greenhouse gas emissions of 11 per cent.
The city's financials are looking good as well, according to the document, with $302 million sitting in the bank, and a surplus of roughly $9.5 million brought in last year.
Listed among the ongoing goals for the coming years: Moving forward with plans for the waterfront, including rehousing of North Vancouver Museum and Presentation House Gallery; completing a Harry Jerome recreation centre draft master plan; and developing an amenity funding policy.
While council praised the report and the city's wellbeing at a July 25 meeting, they also highlighted some flaws. The document is awash in local statistics, but there are no data from other municipalities to compare them to, Coun. Pam Bookham noted.
Beyond that, it largely ignores the city's regional obligations and risks, Coun. Guy Heywood added, pointing to the upcoming replacement of Metro Vancouver's Lions Gate Wastewater Treatment Plant as an example, which is expected to cost about $400 million. Heywood added that publicly traded companies are required by law to include more information in their annual reports.
The full report is available at city hall, the city library and on the city's website: www.cnv.org.
