City of Vancouver Trying to Get Creative to Solve $43 Million Dollar Shortfall

VANCOUVER, Wash. — The City of Vancouver has identified a $43 million dollar biennial budget shortfall.  In response, the city has announced a community survey.  They plan on calling citizens throughout the summer to try and get as many opinions as possible about the best ways to deal with the shortfall.  The city is hoping people will answer their phones when they call and participate.

Meanwhile, The City of Vancouver is also entertaining some new, potential revenue sources.  One is a commercial parking tax, another is a retail tax.  And a tax on media streaming is also being considered.  That tax has never really been levied and collected before by any major U.S. city.

Vancouver city officials will continue to work with the realities of the budget shortfall in front of them to try and keep the number of cuts to city services to a minimum.