Keeping Pace: Municipal Tax Increase Tool

Customize it for my municipality Put in your own budget, wage settlement and reserves

Property tax levy, what taxes pay for ($) Share that is people, incl. RCMP or Police costs (%) Average wage settlement, all unions (% per year) Inflation on everything else (%) Average cost of one position ($) Typical unallocated year-end surplus (% of budget) Money in reserves ($) Five-year capital plan, total ($) Staff's recommended increase is the big number just below, and you can change it there. The people share, wage settlement and inflation explain where that number comes from. Defaults are a made-up but typical mid-sized BC municipality.

1. Tax increase recommended by staff

3.2%

Change it to your municipality's number %

Every 1% tax increase brings in$300,000

The money comes mostly from property taxes and user fees, with a smaller share from grants and other sources. New homes bring new taxpayers, but new residents need services too. Growth can soften the increase a little, but it does not make it go away.

2. What if council sets the tax increase at 3.2%

Services maintained

A fictional street, not a forecast. It shows where a community could end up many years from now if its infrastructure is neglected, or invested in. The numbers below show the next five years.

0% (freeze)▲ 3.2% keeps pace8%

Hold it there for

3. The next five years

What services costWhat taxes and fees bring inGap, taken from reserves

But we have $152 million in reserves.

Want this set up for your council?

We can load it with your own budget, wage settlement and reserves. Municipal finance and budgeting is also one of the topics in our Council Orientation Program.

Get in touch Council Orientation Program Council Strategic Planning Program All services