The average Port Coquitlam homeowner will pay another $60 in property taxes this year.
The 2.99% hike that city council gave three readings on Monday night is expected to be officially endorsed at a special meeting on Thursday — just before the provincial deadline of May 15.
The $90-million financial plan came after months of work by council, city staff and the community; city hall received 476 responses to a public call on the budget proposals.
But it also came with a fair dose of criticism from two members of council, including from the chair of the city's budget and infrastructure advisory committee.
Coun. Dean Washington voted against the budget in response to the new managerial hires — namely, the environmental planner and the arts and culture organizer.
"The increases, which there are several, don't necessarily reflect our priorities in the city," Washington said, also noting the additional contractual labour costs for emergency services that are negotiated externally.
Coun. Brad West, chair of the city's smart growth committee, added the new hires were the "straw that broke the camel's back" in his decision to oppose the budget.
"The priorities of the community lie elsewhere," he said.
The environmental planning job was on Mayor Greg Moore's wish list and came after debate with council following his trip to Paris last December (as Metro Vancouver's board chair) to attend the UN climate change conference. During deliberations with council in January, Moore sought more specific measures by the city to tackle climate change.
On Monday, Moore defended the city's need to upgrade the existing arts, cultural and heritage job, saying the posting is "long overdue." He also pointed out council's push to draw more festivals and events.
Still, Washington said the upcoming replacement of the PoCo recreation complex — the designs for which were unveiled last week — will be a big bill for the city, close to $100 million.
"We don't know what's coming down the pike with that," Washington said.
And West said extra municipal expenses are taking a toll on PoCo families. He noted the recent increases in provincial costs, such as MSP premiums and BC Hydro rates.
"There's an affordability crises that's going on in Metro Vancouver," said West, who voted for the first time against a city budget.
Still, while "this province is a very expensive place to live in," Coun. Laura Dupont said, she believes city council did its due diligence on the budget. "Council has worked hard to allocate funding very carefully. I think we have done good work to pinch where we can and not waste money,"
Meanwhile, Coquitlam RCMP Supt. Sean Maloney said Tuesday he was "extremely thrilled" council set aside money for four new officers. They will operate under a new unit that will concentrate on PoCo crime hotspots (a Uniformed Crime Reduction Unit has been operating for a year in Coquitlam). It is unknown when the four new hires will join the detachment that PoCo shares with Coquitlam, said the RCMP spokesperson, Const. Jamie Phillipson.
Property tax notices will be mailed out in PoCo the week of May 23; payments are due July 4.
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