Vancouver Park Board rejects city budget

For the first time in a decade, the Vancouver Park Board failed to pass the annual budget handed to it by the city, defeating it Monday night in a tied vote.

Coalition of Progressive Electors Park Commissioner Loretta Woodcock said the budget asked for too many financial cuts.

"This is a vote of non-confidence in the mayor that the spending that he's doing on his pet project like ambassadors, eco-density and civil city is reckless, and that the Park Board is not in the mood to accept efficiency reductions while that kind of spending is taking place at city hall," Woodcock told CBC News on Monday evening.

The Monday night vote was tied 3-3 and so the budget failed to pass. The budget will now need to go back to city hall and be re-worked.

Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan's civic party, the Non-Partisan Association did have a majority on the Park Board, until longtime commissioner and former board chair Allan De Genova was kicked out of the caucus by Sullivan over a vote to expand the Vancouver aquarium.

De Genova has since announced he plans to seek the nomination of the rival Vision Vancouver party and challenge Sullivan for the mayor's job in the upcoming civic election.

In 2006, the Vancouver Park Board received more than $55 million from the city for the operation of parks, community centres, beaches, street trees and other services. The Park Board generated an additional  $36 million in revenues from admissions, pay parking, concession sales and rental sources, making the total gross operating expenditures $91.2 million.