Three “big rocks” will drive 30% of Whistler’s 2025 budget

The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) says it’s facing significant budgetary adjustments as it prioritizes three primary areas for 2024: Increased RCMP costs, expanded Spring Creek Fire Hall staffing, and transit improvements.

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According to RMOW staff, these “big rocks” will drive 30% of the total budget increase for 2024-2025, focusing on public safety and core services to keep pace with Whistler’s growth and infrastructure demands.

“We have difficult spending decisions as our infrastructure ages and external costs continue to rise. Last year, the focus was COVID recovery. This year, the priority is investment in core municipal service delivery. Looking ahead, we are facing pressures from population growth and cost inflation, including costs associated with climate change,” RMOW says.

Whistler expects a new RCMP payment tier in 2024 due to projected population growth above 15,000 residents. This will increase Whistler RCMP funding obligations. The Spring Creek Fire Hall will also transition to a fully staffed facility to meet the community’s expanding safety needs. RMOW also plans to invest in expanding public transit as part of its greenhouse gas reduction goals in response to climate-related impacts.

In January this year, RMOW council approved hiring full-time firefighters for the Spring Creek Fire Hall.

To accommodate these expenses, RMOW is implementing spending constraints across other areas. Measures include limiting new assets, investing in reserves for infrastructure maintenance, and maintaining current service levels.

Some service reductions planned for 2025 relative to 2024 include:

• No new recreational programming, such as swim lessons;
• Reduced vehicle lease costs through increased shared vehicle use;
• Adjustments to village median planting to lower maintenance costs;
• Flat budgets for the Fee for Service and Community Enrichment Program;
• Fewer contractor hours for IT support;
• Reduced costs for landfill maintenance, with improved recycling revenues and operational efficiencies in the Transfer Station to offset waste handling costs.

There are also some upcoming opportunities to connect with Council through budget-focused events.

Thursday, November 21: Virtual Council Drop-In Hour: Budget Edition. Drop in online to connect with the Council and the community for a casual chat about the municipal operations budget as it is being proposed.

Monday, November 25: Budget Quiz Night: The Whistler Edition. Hosted by Whistler’s own Laugh Out Live, this fun and interactive quiz night will entertain and inform you about Whistler’s municipal budget.