The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) 2010 budget is complete and is showing a small average tax increase across the Coast.
"The numbers are all over but overall, it's a 0.4 per cent tax increase," said SCRD treasurer Joan Merrick.
The SCRD portion of property taxes differs from area to area based on what services that area receives. The SCRD budget is actually dozens of "mini-budgets" or functions for each specific department.
Pender Harbour/Egmont residents' taxes are going down by the largest amount by 8.3 per cent or roughly $63.40 on a home valued at $400,000. Halfmoon Bay taxes are going up by 2.3 per cent. Roberts Creek residential tax rates are going up by three per cent. Elphinstone rates are going up by 1.2 per cent and West Howe Sound rates are going up by 1.7 per cent. The SCRD portion of property taxes in the District of Sechelt is dropping 3.5 per cent while the Sechelt Indian Government District and Town of Gibsons taxes are going down by 3.2 and one per cent respectively.
Board chair Donna Shugar said this year's budget and the process that went into it have been largely satisfactory for each of the board directors.
"We're adding a few things, but we also found this new process to be so efficient we were able to build up reserves," she said.
That new process, called base budgeting, meant the board started by just looking at its operating expenses for core services and built on other services and projects on a case-by-case basis rather than beginning with a "wish list" of ideal programs and whittling down.
Shugar said taking some surpluses from last year and transferring them into reserves is the financially prudent thing to do, as reserves from past years were largely depleted.
Merrick said the SCRD was also able to bring in $3.4 million in grants from other levels of government -a significant offset from the approximately $40 million budget.
Also coming this year are increases in fees to some services. Tipping fees at the landfills are going up by $5 per tonne, and garbage collection fees are going up by three per cent. Water rates for those in regional water services are going up four per cent. Monthly bus passes are also going up by $5.
Shugar said the board will also have to add on the price of the harmonized sales tax to drop-in fees for the recreation facilities.
The board is scheduled to pass the budget in an afternoon meeting on March 30.
