Special Property Tax Requisition
FAQ about the tax requisition for SSIWPA
SSIWPA is an entity that coordinates watershed management. It receives funding for coordination through the Islands Trust Salt Spring Island Local Trust Committee (LTC), who request each fiscal year a special Property Tax Requisition be approved by Islands Trust Council in order to carry out “special operations”, which in this case refers to the coordination work of SSIWPA in the SSI Local Trust Area.
Freshwater sustainability is a top priority for Islands Trust Council and the Salt Spring Island LTC for the upcoming 2020-21 fiscal year. Coordinated watershed management is essential to achieving freshwater sustainability on Salt Spring Island. The LTC has asked Trust Council to approve a $75,000 property tax requisition for the ongoing coordination of the Salt Spring Island Watershed Protection Alliance (SSIWPA).
Please see this FAQ and backgrounder on the work of SSIWPA.
For more information, please visit the LTC Watershed Management Project page, or contact ssiinfo@islandstrust.
Project Funding
SSIWPA consists of multiple member agencies who hold responsibility for individual projects in its Workplan.
SSIWPA coordinates those projects and their budgets, but only coordination and communication aspects of these projects are funded by the special property tax. Cash funding for SSIWPA-coordinated project data collection and analysis, and related project actions, takes three forms:
- Member Agency Operating or Special Project Funds
- Member Agency Matching Funds
- Grant funding
Grants are leveraged for a portion of project costs by successful application to external funders, including but not limited to: internal provincial grant competitions, municipal and federal grant competitions, and private granting agencies such as the Real Estate Foundation of B.C.
Each agency of SSIWPA has its own internal process for allocation of funds to SSIWPA projects, and has differing sources of the funding that may be used for specific types of projects. Some sources are tax-based (property, or provincial income taxes), while others are available because of special projects or policies about environmental and climate action, for example the Gas Tax funds allocated by the Capital Regional District to some of the SSIWPA-coordinated projects.
Member agencies of SSIWPA also provide significant staff time in-kind in service to SSIWPA projects and SSIWPA coordination functions.