Letter from Rhona Martin regarding Community Works Fund Agreement

Gas Tax Program Services

...delivering the federal gas tax agreement funding in British Columbia

May 30, 2014

Mayor Graham Hill Town of View Royal 45 View Royal Avenue Victoria, BC V9B 1A6

Dear Mayor Graham Hill:

Please find enclosed two (2) copies of your Community Works Fund (CWF) Agreement 2014-2024 under the Administrative Agreement on the Federal Gas Tax Fund in British Columbia (Gas Tax Agreement). This Agreement will replace your current 2005-2015 CWF Agreement.

If Council resolves to enter into the Agreement, the Mayor and the Corporate Officer should sign both copies and return both to UBCM, along with a certified Council resolution. Upon receipt, the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) will sign and date the Agreement and return one fully executed copy for your records. At that time, and provided UBCM has received your 2013 Gas Tax annual expenditure report, UBCM will release your first of two Community Works Fund payments for 2014 in the amount of $213,444.66. Your second payment is expected to be released by December 2014 and payments will continue in a semi-annual basis over the term of the 2014-2024 CWF Agreement.

The CWF will continue to provide dedicated long-term predictable federal funding to local governments for investments in capital and capacity building projects. Local governments will continue to make local choice on which eligible projects to fund through this program.

UBCM will also be making an additional payment towards CWF funding from interest accumulated over the term of the first Gas Tax Agreement (2005 – present). It is expected that this payment will see an additional $8 million allocated to BC Local Governments over the next two years of funding, and will coincide with your regular CWF payment starting July 2014.

Any CWF funding that you still have as unspent through CWF payments from 2005-2013 will be considered funds under your new CWF Agreement and any obligations outlined in the new Agreement will take effect for those funds upon completion of your 2013 Gas Tax annual expenditure report.

The renewed Gas Tax Agreement can be found on the UBCM website at www.ubcm.ca under the Funding Programs, Renewed Gas Tax Agreement tab.

Please feel free to contact Brant Felker, Gas Tax Policy & Program Manager if you have any questions about CWF or other programs under the Gas Tax Agreement. Brant can be reached by e-mail at bfelker@ubcm.ca or by phone at 250-356-0893.

Yours truly,

Rhona Martin UBCM President