Surrey city council approved its 2024 budget Monday night, which includes a tax hike for property owners in the city.
Municipal property owners will see their taxes jump by a combined seven per cent — six per cent for properties specifically, and a one per cent increase in the roads and traffic levy.
According to city staff, the increase means an average tax increase of $152 this year.
The budget also includes a hike to the city’s secondary suite fees, which now will come in at $155 per suite.
However, Safe Surrey Coalition Couns. Doug Elford and Mandeep Nagra say that will the already passed 3.5 per cent increase to utility fees, the burden to Surrey tax payers is actually 10.5 per cent.
“In a devastating blow to the hardworking residents of Surrey, Mayor Brenda Locke and her council team have callously passed a budget that undermines the very foundation of our community. With a staggering 10.5% increase in property taxes and denying funding for nonprofits such as Surrey Crime Prevention Society, Mayor Locke’s administration has shown a shocking disregard for the financial stability of Surrey’s families,” the councillors said in a joint statement Tuesday.
“This budget doesn’t just fail to address the pressing needs of our community; it actively exacerbates our existing affordability crisis.”
Elford and Nagra are also calling out Locke and her team for cancelling the “shovel-ready” Newton Community Centre project.
“This project, approved in 2022 and already in motion with millions invested in offsite servicing and infrastructure such as new road and traffic lights, was set to become a beacon of community pride. Yet, Mayor Locke’s decision to axe it solely because it was championed by her political opponent is nothing short of shameful. It’s a clear demonstration of her petty and vindictive nature, prioritizing personal grudges over the well-being of our citizens,” said Elford.
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