Port Coquitlam will add two more firefighters but no extra Mounties if this year’s budget is passed April 10 by city council.
Tuesday, council unanimously gave three readings to the draft financial plan that will see property bills and utilities rise 1.23% overall — one of the lowest lifts in Metro Vancouver.
That translates to another $41.16 for the average single-family home assessed at $960,179, including a $12.24 boost for sewer charges and $3.37 more for solid waste levies.
Utility bills are due Tuesday.
Owners of townhomes assessed at $648,887 will see their bills jump 1.26% — or $24.35 (including a $11.48 increase in sewer) — while apartment dwellers face a 1.29% hike, or $20.62 (including a $10.88 rise in sewer).
For businesses, the total tax and utility fees go up less than 2%. The amounts vary based on property values and water usage: 1.73% for large industrial, 1.12% for large-format retail, 1.06% for medium-sized retail and 1.29% for small retail.
Coun. Dean Washington, chair of the city’s finance and budget committee, said 1% of the overall increase is earmarked for infrastructure upgrades — including rehabilitating or replacing about 3 km of roads as well as water, sanitary and storm pipes — and another 0.4% is dedicated for the ongoing rebuild of the PoCo recreation complex, a $132-million project that’s expected to be complete in 2021 (taxpayers have two more years to pay the $25 annual parcel tax).
The extra funds will also be spent on, among other things:
• starting the first year of a four-year program to convert all streetlights to LED;
• moving fire call dispatch to E-Comm, the regional 911 call centre;
• adding more Sunday hours at Terry Fox Library;
• hosting the third annual PoCo Grand Prix cycling race July 13;
• and finishing upgrades at Centennial Pool.
But the $88.8-million operating budget doesn’t include money for more police despite feedback from more than 600 residents, many of whom stated in the budget consultation that community safety is a priority and want to see more officers on the streets (Coquitlam RCMP Cpl. Michael McLaughlin told The Tri-City News today (Thursday) the detachment didn’t ask the city for more Mounties in 2018, citing “efficiencies” within the department.)
The proposed financial plan also included 11th-hour tweaks by the finance committee Tuesday, some of which called for dipping into surplus accounts to pay for road maintenance — a move that irked Coun. Darrell Penner, who suggested the funds be allocated as part of taxation.
“It’s not just a good practice,” Penner said, referring to the taking cash from reserves.
Still, council congratulated itself for keeping property tax increases low. In December, Coquitlam city council boosted taxes by 2.41% (averaging $46 more and not including utilities) while Port Moody is eyeing a 4.6% lift this year.
“There aren’t any other councils in the region that are going to come close,” Coun. Mike Forrest said.
Washington said the budget tightening and cutbacks by city managers allowed for a smaller rate. “People are doing more with less,” he said of civic controllers.
Added Coun. Brad West: “1.23% doesn’t happen by accident or by itself. If [council] didn’t do anything, it would be a lot higher… Our jobs are to be reflective of what we are hearing in the community.”
Under the Community Charter, the provincial legislation under which municipal governments operate, the deadline for cities to pass their financial plans is mid-May.
REMUNERATION
Meanwhile, next year’s budget will include $60,000 more for council pay.
Tuesday, council voted to boost stipends for mayor and councillors as of Jan. 1, 2019 to offset the elimination by the federal government of the Municipal Officers’ Allowance, which made elected officials' pay one third tax-free. The elimination of the tax break was announced in the 2017 federal budget and affects elected officials at the school board, municipal and provincial levels.
Councillors Glenn Pollock and Dean Washington voted against the pay increase, with Pollock telling The Tri-City News today (Thursday), “I never felt like it was something I deserved.”
The change means the mayor will receive $25,025 more per year while each councillor will get an extra $5,115 annually.
“The increase would result in approximately the same net pay all members of council would have received if the allowance was still applicable,” city finance director Karen Grommada wrote in her report to council.
Said Coun. Laura Dupont at Tuesday’s meeting: “This is fair and reasonable remuneration for the work that’s done on city council.”
