A preliminary overall tax increase of 7.8 per cent has been set by the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) following the completion of Round 1 budget deliberations.
Among electoral areas, Area A increased by 6.9 per cent, Area B by 8.4 per cent, Area D by 8.2 per cent, Area E by 7.9 per cent and Area F by 9.1 per cent.
Taxes are also expected to increase for the member municipalities – the District of Sechelt by 6.7 per cent and Town of Gibsons by 7.5 per cent. Taxes for the Sechelt Indian Government District (SIGD) increased by 6.5 per cent.
The SCRD taxes make up a portion of the SIGD’s and municipalities’ tax bills.
These draft figures are expected to change after Round 2 Budget meetings wrap up on Feb. 10 and 11.
In a release, the SCRD attributed the increases to contract renewals, the ongoing increases needed to meet landfill closure and post-closure liability and an increase for ports funding for maintenance and debt servicing costs related to the Vaucroft dock capital repairs. Another factor is the 2019 expiration of the four-year collective agreement with Unifor. Expected wage increases have been factored into the budget.
The release highlights the nearly four dozen water projects under consideration including expanding the water supply and “ensuring sufficient resources for the water services,” asset management costs, support for fire and emergency funding, “improving operations,” and “addressing critical needs in the rural areas wastewater facilities.”
The SCRD also received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association for last year’s budget document.
People are invited to provide feedback on the budget through an online response form: https://www.scrd.ca/budgetfeedback
More information about the budget can be found at scrd.ca/budget
