2025-2029 Financial Plan:

City Budget:

The City staff’s report on ways to limit property tax increases will be considered this week. 

Council had requested that staff:

(1) bring forward options to reduce the city’s portion of the 2025 and 2026 property tax increase to 4%, 5%, 6% and/or 7% by:

a. focussing on reducing services/programs that are property tax funded

b. focussing on services/programs that are ongoing

c. avoiding adding new services/program/assets

d. avoiding expanding services/program/assets

e. avoiding negatively impacting existing assets and increase deferred maintenance

f. pausing actioning new/expanded initiatives to reduce tax increase or avoid an additional tax increase, even if previously directed by Council, and

(2) report back to Council on the implications of adjusting the ratio of the “Business and Other” tax class from 3.67 to 3, and/or 2.5, as compared to the Residential rate.

The staff report is on the agenda for Thursday’s Committee of the Whole meeting:

Please note that the percentages in this report refer only to the city component of the budget.  The City Municipal property tax is only part of City property taxes. Other components include School, CRD, BC Transit, VicPD and other small levies. Looking at my personal 2024 Property Tax Notice, about 65% of the total is attributed to the municipality (City), 23% are BC School taxes, 7% goes to the CRD and 5% to BC Transit. While the VicPD (police) budget ultimately falls within the City’s municipal budget, the staff reports do NOT include the VicPD budget.

Following this week’s meeting, the public will have eight days to submit comments and suggestions to the City. As you review the documents, please keep in mind that the Province’s responsibilities include housing and medical services. The City’s primary responsibilities are City infrastructure, City owned structures, and public safety. To ensure inclusion of your opinion in the City’s compilation of feedback, please send your submission to legislativeservices@victoria.ca. Contributions to the call for public input, which is to be summarised for Council, must be submitted by December 20. 

If you have already submitted an opinion based on the initial Draft Financial Plan, you may submit a revised opinion following your review of staff’s suggestions and Council’s discussion this week.

In addition to the Legislative Services email, you may wish to also send your submission to Councillors via Councillors@victoria.ca or to the Councillor liaison for your neighbourhood.

Going forward, a full day Committee of the Whole meeting has been scheduled for Monday, January 13th, to consider budget matters.

VicPD 2025 Provisional Budget:

At the November 21st Committee of the Whole meeting, Elizabeth Cull, Vice-Chair VicPD Board, presented the 2025 VicPD Provisional Budget:

She spoke clearly of the impact on police operations if VicPD were to reduce its budget by about $2M, which had been a request forwarded to VicPD by Mayor Alto. 

Road traffic speed changes:

At the December 5th Council meetings, changes to traffic speeds on specific roadways were considered and adopted. These changes will be in addition to the many changes made over the past 10-12 years. In summary, the north sections of Douglas and Blanshard will have speed limits of 50 kph. Minor roadways in neighbourhoods will usually have speed limits of 30 kph while other roadways, mainly those with the yellow-lines in the middle, will have speed limits of 40 kph.  The changes are to be phased in as road work/repair is done throughout the city.  

2025 Councillor Liaison Appointments:

Mid-way through this Council’s term of office, the Mayor has proposed changes to Councillor Neighbourhood Liaison Appointments for the remainder of our term of office.  The motion for these appointments will be considered on December 12.