Vancouver city councillors have approved a 2025 operating budget that holds property tax increases to 3.9 per cent.
City staff had initially proposed an increase of 5.5 per cent, but Mayor Ken Sim said additional savings and revenue sources allowed the final figure to come in at the lower figure.
“Today is a great day,” Sim said.
“The property tax increase is coming in at 2.9 per cent plus a one per cent allotment for capital, to invest in infrastructure, and that came without cutting any services, and even adding things like making sure our firefighters have suits that don’t cause cancer.”
ABC Vancouver Coun. Mike Klassen said staff were able to find more revenue from the city’s property endowment fund, while savings were identified through efficiencies, including spreading the cost of implementing police body-worn cameras over two budget cycles.
Green Coun. Adrianne Carr said she still has questions about how city staff arrived at the savings.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
“Where did they find those efficiencies?” she said.
“My concern is are they finding those efficiencies in things I think are really important in the budget, and particularly I am concerned as to whether or not we are tackling sufficiently the burden of climate change on this city, both in terms of mitigation and adaptation to it.”
Homeowners are also facing an 18.2-per cent utility fee hike, partially driven by a 37-per cent increase in sewer rates related to cost overruns on the North Shore Wastewater Treatment plant.
Vancouverites are also looking at the prospect of several user fee increases, including a 6-per cent fee hike for recreation facilities, a 6-per cent fee hike for most business licences, and a 3-per cent increase to building and development permit fees.
Vancouver Police Chief Adam Palmer said he was “happy” that councillors had approved approximately $425 million for the department.
“I am very satisfied with the decision of council and that will definitely work for the Vancouver Police Department,” he said.
“We were asking for a little bit more, but I am happy with the amount that was decided on.”
Palmer said councillors had eased his concern that any cost overruns on the department’s budget to cover protests and demonstrations would be covered at the end of next year.
The budget also includes $195.2 million for Vancouver Fire Rescue Services, $64.5 million for the Vancouver Public Library, and $183.9 million for the Vancouver Park Board.
On the infrastructure side of the ledger, the budget includes $880 million in capital spending, with priorities including upgrades to the city’s water and sewer systems, seismic upgrades to the Granville and Cambie bridges, and construction of the new PNE Amphitheatre.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.