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Council investments boost community safety, library services
Published 3:10 PDT, Fri March 15, 2019
Richmond City Council recently
approved our 2019 operating and capital budgets, which include substantial
investments that will protect and enhance community safety, while continuing to
ensure that other important basic services are maintained and enhanced.
Council’s safe community program
The key investment in this year’s
budget is funding to support major increases in both police and fire staffing.
In all, funding has been provided for 107 new positions to be implemented over
the next three years.
The 2019 budget allows us to
further address the needs by providing ongoing operating funding for 51
additional RCMP officers and 20 municipal employees at the Richmond RCMP
detachment over the next three years.
At the same time, we are also
addressing the need for increased fire and rescue capacities to serve
developing areas of our community. Council approved funding for the hiring of
an additional 36 firefighters over the next three years.
These investments further support
the significant capital investments Council has made in community safety
infrastructure over the past decade and a half. Our ambitious building saw
completion of five new fire halls, a major retrofit of a sixth fire hall and
the purchase and renovation of the Richmond Community Safety Building, which is
now home of the Richmond RCMP detachment.
Later this year, we will open a
new expanded City Centre Community Police Office at Gilbert and Granville. This
new office will provide increased enforcement and faster response times within
the City Centre. It will also enhance delivery of our many crime prevention
programs.
The Richmond Public Library
We are also committed to
excellence in all of our public services. Richmond Public Library is a good
example. Council recently
expressed its support for the Library’s new 2019-2021 Strategic Plan, and has
worked with the library board to ensure it continues to invest in expanding the
library’s collection, including e-books. We also supported the library’s
introduction of its Launchpad, an innovative digital learning space in the
Brighouse library which offers creation stations with digital scanners, 3D
printers and more. Free learning sessions on how to use the equipment in a
relaxing, modern setting are offered.
Last year, we provided additional
funding to allow the library to expand its services for seniors. The library
also introduced new book dispensing technology that allows for the expansion of
services beyond our existing branches. A new book dispenser was installed in
the Hamilton Community Centre last year and I was pleased to support funding in
this year’s budget for an additional dispenser to be placed in the new Minoru
Centre for Active Living.
Our investments ensure that
Richmond residents continue to receive an enviable quality of civic services.
Through prudent financial management, we also ensure residents receive good
value for these services. We continue to have some of the lowest property taxes
in the Metro Vancouver region. To learn more about our 2019 budgets and our
Five Year Financial Plan visit www.richmond.ca/5YFP.