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COUNTDOWN TO THE
GAMES
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91 Thursday, November 21, 2013
SERVING MISSION SINCE 1908
Members of the Mission Skate Club put on an excellent show for the capacity crowd that gathered Saturday at the Leisure Centre for the B.C. Winter Games torch lighting event. SEE MORE PHOTOS PAGE 3.
Torch Lighting
JOHN MORROW PHOTO
Zero municipal tax increase planned Alina Konevski
ABBOTSFORD NEWS
Mission residents will not see their municipal tax rates rise this year if the proposed district budget passes. However, the proposed budget does include a two per cent increase in municipal utility rates, for water, sewer and waste. Deputy treasurer/collector Kerri Onken presented the proposed 2014 budget for the District of Mission at Monday night’s council meeting. Protective services (police and fire) use the largest
chunk of the $64.6 million budget, at one-fifth. Other major budget expenditures are engineering and public works at 12 per cent, water utility at 10 per cent, and recreation at nine. Property taxes account for 48 per cent of district revenue; utility fees represent 22 per cent, while user fees and other revenue account for the remainder. “The district has limited revenue opportunities under the community charter, and as you can see, taxation is the major source of revenue,” said Onken.
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The district is expecting an additional $472,000 to come in from new construction. The district has the fourth-lowest property taxes of 13 Lower Mainland communities, at an annual average of $2,839 per resident. At the centre of the proposed budget is an aggressive debt retirement strategy. In 2014 alone, the district plans to pay back $4.5 million, which represents a 33 per cent reduction in debt. Meanwhile, district staff are busy storing up reserves
for future operating and capital costs. The district plans to increase its reserve from the current level of around $40,000, to more than $60,000 within four years. There will be no reductions to community grants or funding for infrastructure. Former councillor Danny Plecas, who ran for re-election in 2011, raised the concern that without significant increases in revenue, the district may end up with a shortage for major projects and to cover increases in operational costs.
“It’s nice to have a zero tax increase, but are we going to hit the wall two years down the road?” said Plecas. “What’s new on the books that you can foresee to help us move along and get more tax revenue from other than the property owner to offset some of those increased costs we see down the road?” Councillor Dave Hensman replied that the district is operating on a “save and spend” principle. “I’m of the philosophy, and I hope many people are as well, that the more we
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save, and the more frugal we are, the better off we’re going to be, especially in these uncertain economic times. So are we going to hit the wall? No, we’re not. We’re sustainably moving our community forward in a way that is both frugal, and yet dealing with the issues at hand.” The proposed budget is available at mission.ca. Public comments on the budget are due by Nov. 20, 2013 to tax@mission.ca. Council will hold the final budget discussion on Dec. 2, and final adoption on Dec. 31.
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