The Federal Gas Tax Agreement provides predictable, long-term and stable funding to local governments in British Columbia for investment in infrastructure and capacity-building projects. The fund is guided by three national program objectives, which include productivity and economic growth, a clean environment, and strong cities and communities. The Community Works Fund is one stream of Gas Tax funding available to all local governments, based on a per capita formula, with payments made to local governments twice a year. This allows local governments to make local choices about which eligible projects to fund.
The CVRD Board approved a funding formula that first allocates the funds to Electoral Areas (60%), CVRD Asset Management Infrastructure Investments (30%) and CVRD Asset Management Capacity Building (10%). I expect this formula will be reviewed in 2024. The amount each Electoral Area gets is based on population. For example, Area H received $443,841 in 2020. To date, $412,021 has not been allocated.
To receive annual Gas Tax allocations, all local governments enter into an agreement with the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) which sets out the terms and conditions of the program, including outlining eligible project categories, eligible costs, and reporting requirements. The agreement also lays out provisions for providing funding to a third party for eligible projects.
Project proposals must include specific information that is required to be reported to UBCM. (See documents below). As well, the CVRD has some added eligibility criteria including the requirement that a project should be spread out over 5 years to accommodate payment schedule and staff capacity.
Area H 