The City of Fernie is hosting a survey open to all citizens regarding the 2016 budget.
On Dec. 4, the survey will close. The Council for the City of Fernie invites citizens to go online and join TaxTALK, the 2016 Budget Consultation Survey. The survey is available in hardcopy and through the city of Fernie’s website at Fernie.ca.
The survey will be used to help council determine what the public values most. This will be used to establish priorities for the upcoming year while striking the correct balance between sustainable public services, investing in quality, and keeping tax rates affordable.
“Council is looking for feedback from the public with respect to services levels, what services are important and the level of service that we provide. They want to have that consideration when they are going into budget discussions,” said Deputy Clerk, Suzanne Garand.
Fernie Mayor, Mary Giuliano echoed the sentiment.
“We are asking the public to let us know what’s important to them in order to inform a plan that will provide the sustainable services and infrastructure that citizens expect while remaining within current funding constraints,” she said in a press release.
The survey is completely confidential. It does not ask any personal information about the participant and should take five to 10 minutes to complete. The online version of TaxTALK is being powered through the popular online survey company SurveyMonkey. The website does store Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and other information from participants. The collected information is stored outside of Canada. Participants can also pick up a hardcopy version of the survey at City Hall, Fernie Heritage Library or Fernie Aquatic Centre. It is also available for downloadable print-at-home edition through the City of Fernie website.
“Please encourage your family and friends to take part and join TaxTALK. Working with our community, we can achieve the best possible plan for the future,” said Mayor Giuliano.