Policing costs may bump Squamish's property taxes up again next year.
After months of whittling, last week the District of Squamish council approved a 7.5 per cent property tax increase for 2012 of which 4.1 per cent was directly related to the RCMP. This year, the municipality's population of just over 17,000 bumped it into a higher payment bracket for its RCMP contract, adding almost $1 million to the district's overall bill.
If the policing cost issue hadn't been there, it would have been a 3.4 per cent increase in taxes, Coun. Doug Race said.
Next year, the district will be hit with a larger cop shop fee, he noted. The RCMP's fiscal year dictates that the municipality pay for nine months of service in 2012 and 12 months in 2013.
There is going to be an additional impact next year just because it is a full year, Race said. That will add about another one per cent just for [policing] alone.
In 2012, the average property assessment for a residential strata unit dropped 8.9 per cent, while single-family dwelling assessments fell 2.4 per cent. Consequently, the languishing property values have placed a larger share of the municipal tax burden on single-family homeowners. This year's tax increase will bump single-family dwelling taxes up 10.9 per cent, while hitting residential strata units with a 3.5 per cent increase.
For the average Squamish homeowner with a house valued at $374,000 the 7.5 per cent property tax increase equals an approximate $164 jump.
Of the four municipal budget processes Race has participated in, this last one was the most focused, he said, noting council concentrated on discretionary funding areas.
Generally speaking we were quite frugal, I think, and made good spending decisions, he said.
