As the UNA begins preparing its budget for the next fiscal year, residents will soon be invited to take part in a public consultation process.
While a ‘budget consultation’ may sound bureaucratic, it is one of the most tangible ways neighbours can influence how millions of dollars are spent and invested in our community. A budget isn’t just a spreadsheet, it’s a mirror of community priorities.
The UNA’s budget for the fiscal year running April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027 deals with many things that affect our daily lives, including parks, landscaping, recreation programming, street lighting, and facility maintenance. It sets administrative staffing levels, establishes contributions to capital reserves, and ensures the protection of long-term community assets.
In short, the budget is the blueprint for how our neighbourhoods function day to day, and how they are safeguarded for the future.
Growing pains
Over the past year, the UNA has faced a challenging balancing act. Population growth across Wesbrook, Hawthorn, and Chancellor Place has increased the demand for basic services, while inflation continues to drive up operating costs, from landscaping contracts to equipment replacement.
Meanwhile, UBC withdrawals under the Neighbours Agreement have grown faster than anticipated, reducing the UNA’s share of funds available for local use.
Currently the UNA receives only 54.7 per cent of total levies collected through property taxes within UNA neighborhoods for its budget. UBC withdraws the remaining balance for fees and infrastructure reserves. UBC also withdraws funds for fire services, the use of the university’s recreation facilities, and stormwater sewers. These costs have increased 12 per cent, or about $457,000, in the new budget.
Though levies paid this coming year to UBC are projected to increase by 3.8 per cent, the amount available to the UNA is dropping by 1.8 per cent – a 5.6 per cent swing or $300,000 less than what the UNA should realize in transfers. Every dollar withdrawn by UBC is one less available for community priorities.
These trends reinforce the need for greater transparency around UBC withdrawals and clearer reporting on how those deductions are calculated and applied. Without such clarity, it becomes difficult for residents to see where their service levy contributions are truly going, and whether the community is receiving full value for what it pays.
Prioritizing core deliverables
With these fiscal challenges, the UNA must remain focused on its core mission of supporting safe, clean, and functional neighbourhoods. That means prioritizing things like maintaining roads, sidewalks, and the tree canopy, alongside valued community activities and programming. It also means de-emphasizing discretionary or non-essential initiatives that do little to enhance operations or front-line services, and being vigilant against ongoing cost creep. Discipline in budgeting protects the programs and services residents rely on most.
Similarly, new staff hires should be limited to essential operations and mandated services, ensuring administrative growth stays measured and justified.
At the same time, the UNA should be prepared to use reserves strategically. For example, supporting key safety projects like pathway lighting enhancements, or asset-maintenance initiatives that preserve infrastructure and service levels for the long term.
Why resident participation matters
Public consultations on matters like financial budgets aren’t a formality, they are the foundation of transparent governance.
The UNA’s Board of Directors and its Finance & Audit Committee rely on resident feedback to test assumptions, challenge spending priorities, and ensure that final budget allocations reflect the community’s values, rather than administrative convenience.
Comments from residents have previously shaped real outcomes: slowing non-essential office projects, focusing on structural and maintenance needs, and re-evaluating programming costs. Each suggestion, even a brief one, helps reinforce fiscal accountability and strengthens the UNA’s credibility with both UBC and the community it serves. Consultation gives legitimacy to every dollar the UNA spends.
How to participate
The draft 2026-2027 budget will be released publicly on the UNA website as part of the new budget cycle. Neighbours are strongly encouraged to watch for alerts posted online or right here in The Campus Resident.
There will also be opportunities to take part in open house sessions tentatively planned for February 2026. These events will provide residents with a chance to meet with UNA directors and staff, ask questions, and share their views directly. Residents will also be able to submit feedback online and review summary tables outlining revenues, expenses, and capital priorities. Even a few minutes spent reading the highlights or sending a brief note could make a measurable difference.
A shared responsibility
Budgets reveal what a community values most. Whether you believe the UNA should focus on essential maintenance, expanded programming, or building stronger cash reserves for the future, this consultation is the opportunity to make your views count.
The upcoming fiscal year will test how well the UNA can balance ambition with restraint. But that balance can only be achieved through dialogue between UBC, UNA directors, and, most importantly, the residents who fund and benefit from the UNA’s work. Participation is not about agreeing, it’s about being heard.
Let us make sure the 2026-2027 UNA budget reflects not only fiscal discipline and accountability, but the collective vision of an engaged, informed, and forward-thinking community.
JAKE WIEBE IS A UNA DIRECTOR AND CHAIR OF THE UNA FINANCE AND AUDIT COMMITTEE. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS ARTICLE ARE HIS OWN AND DO NOT REPRESENT THOSE OF THE UNA.