TEAM for a Livable Vancouver on City Hall: wards, open meetings and a budget review
This section brings together TEAM for a Livable Vancouver's positions on community representation and on finance and administration. The party would elect councillors by ward, publish Council materials a month ahead, create a lobbyist registry, limit tax increases to inflation and review the budget line by line.
CITY COUNCIL
The aim of Neighbourhoods and City Hall, in the party's words
TEAM will restore real input to residents and neighbourhoods by bringing back community-based planning, revitalizing local democracy, and restructuring how City Hall interacts with residents.
TEAM for a Livable Vancouver lists Community Representation first among its ten positions and Finance and Administration fourth. We have grouped them here because both are about how City Hall works: who gets heard, what is decided in private, and how the city spends its money. The party opens its community page with the aim of restoring "real input to residents and neighbourhoods".
On representation, TEAM would adopt a ward system, publish Council material at least one month before debate, limit closed meetings, open staff briefings to the public, create a lobbyist registry and pick advisory committee members at random from volunteers. On finance, it would hold tax increases to inflation, stop spending on provincial and federal duties, review the operating and capital budgets service by service, and give Council and the public a say over department budgets.
Nearly all of this is within City Council's power, since Council sets its own meeting rules and approves the tax rate and the budget each year. The ward system needs one more step: under the Vancouver Charter, the provincial cabinet must approve the by-law that creates it.
2 CHAPTERS
Every chapter in Neighbourhoods and City Hall
Community Representation
TEAM on City Hall: wards, a lobbyist registry and documents a month early
- Reinstate participatory community-based planning
- Give verified residents, business owners and property owners a say
- Integrated stakeholder meetings with priority for local people
Finance and Administration
TEAM on city finances: tax increases held to inflation and a full budget review
- Limit tax increases to inflation
- Stop paying for provincial and federal responsibilities
- Focus spending on core services
WHO WOULD HAVE TO ACT
Who holds the power for these 22 commitments
Each chapter page names the body for every commitment and gives the reason in one sentence.
ON THE BALLOT
The TEAM for a Livable Vancouver candidates behind this
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Questions about Neighbourhoods and City Hall
What does TEAM for a Livable Vancouver want to change at City Hall?
TEAM for a Livable Vancouver says it would adopt a ward system, publish Council materials at least one month before debate, limit closed meetings, create a lobbyist registry and bring back community-based planning (TEAM Community Representation page).
What is TEAM's position on property taxes?
TEAM says it would limit tax increases to inflation, reduce spending on administration and non-core services, stop paying for provincial and federal responsibilities and review the operating and capital budgets line by line (TEAM Finance and Administration page).
Does TEAM want councillors elected by neighbourhood?
Yes. TEAM for a Livable Vancouver says it would adopt a ward system so each councillor is accountable to one area. Under the Vancouver Charter, Council can pass the by-law, but the provincial cabinet must approve it (TEAM Community Representation page).
How would TEAM make Vancouver's budget more open?
TEAM says it would increase transparency in the budget process, give residents a meaningful voice on spending, require departments to write yearly service plans with benchmarks, and let Council and the public review and approve department budgets (TEAM Finance and Administration page).
Who would have to act on TEAM's City Hall promises?
City Council controls its meeting rules, advisory committees, tax rate and budget, so a Council majority could act on most of these promises. A ward system also needs approval from the provincial cabinet under the Vancouver Charter (TEAM Community Representation page).
Sources
Every commitment on this page comes from the party's own material, marked SAYS SO ITSELF. It proves what the party says it would do. Who holds each power is our own addition, from the sources listed after it.
- TEAM community representation, learn more SAYS SO ITSELFTEAM for a Livable Vancouver · checked
- TEAM finance and administration, learn more SAYS SO ITSELFTEAM for a Livable Vancouver · checked
- Vancouver Charter: section 138 (councillors elected by neighbourhood), section 165.2 (closed Council meetings) and section 573 (appeals to the Board of Variance) Province of British Columbia (BC Laws) · checked