Council is planning for Squamish’s 2016 municipal budget to include a 5.7 per cent increase to property tax revenue.
Council’s budget deliberations continued Tuesday night with an open house at municipal hall attended by about seven community members in addition to the mayor, council and district staff. Six community members were watching online, staff said.
Attendees could mingle with council members and peruse the draft budget details displayed on giant sheets of paper around council chambers.
Christine Mathews, the district’s manager of financial planning, gave a presentation of the draft budget. The district would need to draw $24,674,236 from property taxation, up from $23,343,529 in 2015, Mathews explained.
She outlined the drivers of the increase as primarily labour costs, service level increases, funds towards capital and reserves, debt servicing, RCMP contract changes and changes to reserve contributions for public art and the carbon neutral reserve. “The public art contribution to the public art reserve was increased $35,000 so it is now at about $50,000 per year,” Mathews said.
Although some attendees were confused about how higher assessments homeowners received would impact their tax bill, Mathews stressed individuals’ property taxes will not necessarily increase dramatically.
“How that impacts the individual homeowners or the various categories still can not be fully determined until we have the final BC Assessment figures,” she said, adding there is about three per cent growth in the number of residences in Squamish that will add to revenue and help offset the potential increase to property taxes.
Highlights in the proposed 2016 budget include enhanced library programing and a security guard at the library, increased bylaw enforcement and animal control, a new fire inspector, an on-staff electrician at the district and an RCMP school liaison officer.
Trail network enhancement and the hiring of an environmental sustainability coordinator are also in the draft budget, she said.
Some special projects include the Official Community Plan review launching this year and alternative transportation projects, such as the Healthy, Active and Safe Travel Routes to School Program.
In the capital plan, some highlights include the arena slab replacement, Brennan Park facility maintenance, Willow Park playground improvements and an off-leash dog park.
