Everyone wants to keep taxes down. The harder question is how? Cranbrook’s municipal tax levy has risen substantially, over 25 percent, over the past four years. At the same time, more than 80 percent of our assessed property base is residential, while light industry accounts for less than 1 percent.
We can’t control every cost facing the City. But we can grow the number and value of businesses and industries helping to pay the bill. That’s what I mean by Grow the Pie. Cranbrook already has a strong commercial base and promising economic-development work underway in aerospace, technology, logistics and new markets. Now we need to turn those connections into investment, jobs and tax base — while helping the businesses already here grow.
Head: Do the Homework
- Build on our strengths
Our airport, highway connections, College of the Rockies, regional hub status and Kootenay connections give us real advantages. Diversify industry by pursuing geopolitical opportunities in critical minerals, value-added forestry, energy and transportation while building on emerging aerospace, defence and technology opportunities. - Grow what we’ve already got
Talk regularly with the businesses, employers and stakeholders already here. What’s stopping expansion, investment or hiring? What would bring more people downtown, along the strip? What can the City fix, influence or help connect to a solution? - Connect the dots
Cranbrook has done a lot of good planning — a lot of it. The challenge now is turning those plans into results: making the plans work together, matching our ambitions to our resources, prioritizing and putting our effort and money where they accomplish the most.
We have a Community Plan, Strategic Plan, Fiscal Plan, plans for infrastructure, transportation, economic development and more. And they draw on the same limited pool of money, infrastructure and people to make them happen. Housing, workforce, land, infrastructure, development costs and economic growth are all connected. Every new initiative in each department competes with aging roads, water, sewer systems and services for City dollars. These aren’t separate City files. They’re pieces of the same puzzle.
Every major plan should go through three simple filters:
Cost — Can we afford it? Not just the initial price tag but the long-term cost too. What funding can we bring in from other governments and partners? What does it mean for taxpayers and other priorities?
Capacity — Can we actually get it done? Do we have the staff, infrastructure, land and outside partners needed to deliver it? Cranbrook’s workload is growing, and implementation capacity has to be part of the decision from the start.
Leverage — What else does it accomplish? Which investments unlock the most benefit? Can an infrastructure project also open land for housing or industry? Can replacing underground services also improve a commercial streetscape? Look for investments that solve more than one problem. What can outside partners contribute?
And then comes the hard part: prioritize. There will always be more good ideas than money and people to deliver them. Council should be able to clearly tell Cranbrook: What are our five most important priorities for the next four years? What will they cost and how will we pay for them? Who will help us deliver them? And importantly, how will we know they worked?
Hands: Make It Happen
- Bring more horsepower to Economic Development
Create an Economic Diversification Council bringing business, industry, development, finance, technology, education and Ktunaxa expertise alongside our Economic Development Officer — adding networks, experience and people who know how to get things done. - Leave no stone unturned for outside money
Federal and provincial governments, Columbia Basin Trust, UBCM, PacifiCan, service clubs and others fund everything from water and sewer to housing, downtown revitalization, recreation, accessibility and technology. Let’s have our priorities identified, projects planned, costs understood and partnerships ready anticipating these funding opportunities. - Help existing businesses grow
Act on the priorities and concerns of our existing business base. Safety, streets, lighting, public spaces, events, public transit and accessibility all affect business activity. A healthy downtown, highway strip and commercial areas are infrastructure too. Look for investments that solve more than one problem at once. - Remove unnecessary barriers
Keep the rules we need. Remove unnecessary friction. Make permits, development and business processes as clear and predictable as possible. - Connect businesses and organizations to opportunity
Help connect local businesses with financing, grants, training, procurement, export opportunities, partnerships, purchasing pools and joint marketing. Set up a volunteer database connecting people with organizations. - Make growth pay for growth — without stopping growth
New development should contribute to the infrastructure it requires. But when the total cost of building or expanding makes a good project unviable, we’ve defeated the purpose. - Turn connections into investment
Build on CoinvergX, Team Kootenay and other work already underway. Connections are valuable when they become businesses, investment and jobs here in Cranbrook. - And measure it — create a simple Grow the Pie scorecard
Is commercial and industrial assessment growing? Are existing businesses expanding? Are we adding housing and attracting private investment? How much outside funding are we bringing home? How much tax revenue came from growth rather than high taxes?
Don’t overlook opportunities like the nearly 100-acre former Tembec lands. Strategic land like this deserves serious homework so its next chapter creates lasting economic value for Cranbrook.
Then report it clearly. If we’re spending public money on economic development, Cranbrook should be able to see whether it’s working.
Heart: Building a Better Future
Why Grow the Pie?
- It’s about creating more good jobs.
- It’s about giving young families opportunities here — a reason to stay or come home.
- It’s about protecting and building local social services and healthcare people depend on.
- It’s about less pressure on homeowners to carry more of the tax load.
- It’s about balancing an aging population against urban migration.
Because the real measure of economic growth isn’t just dollars — it’s whether Cranbrook remains a place where people build a good life, afford to stay, raise a family and grow old.
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