Surrey city council approves 12.5 per cent property tax hike

Councillors in Surrey voted to approve a 12.5 per cent property tax hike Monday night as part of a five-year budget plan.

Council heavily deliberated over the city’s policing transition, and how it would affect a potential property tax hike as well as the city’s overall budget, but ultimately voted in favour of the increase in the plan’s third read.

The hike was initially proposed to be 17.5 per cent. However, the city opted to use the Growing Communities Fund — a provincial fund — to bring the hike down.

Most of the tax increase is to pay for policing services, as Surrey continues to be shrouded in controversy over the transition from the RCMP to a municipal force that began under Doug McCallum.

Read more:

• Surrey police transition funding idea short-sighted: premier

The province previously explained that the Growing Communities Fund would provide $1 billion in new grants to local governments across B.C. The goal is to “help build community infrastructure and amenities to meet the demands of unprecedented population growth,” the government added.

Councillor Linda Annis said she wouldn’t be supporting the tax increase or any other budgetary items.

“I don’t think the taxpayers, at this point in time, the businesses or the residents can afford a 12.5 per cent tax increase,” she said.

“It’s just going to put them over the top.”

Related articles:

• Surrey’s proposed 12.5% property tax increase up for vote

• Surrey property tax could rise for policing: ‘We have no choice’

Councillor Harry Bains didn’t want to see any increase either.

“I don’t think this is the right time to make any sort of increases. As we all know, we are going through a recession, and we’ve just seen a huge interest rate hike as well,” he said. “I don’t think our residents are ready to pay more at this time. So, I am opposed to this.”

Surrey’s general manager of finance, Kam Grewal, says the Province’s stall on a policing transition decision is costing the city $8 million per month, but adds this year’s costs are “virtually identical” whether the police of jurisdiction ends up being the Surrey RCMP, or the Surrey Police Service (SPS).

Grewal adds the transition will continue to have an impact on the city’s budget past 2023.

The decision on whether the city will keep the RCMP or continue to move toward the Surrey Police Service is currently in the hands of the province’s solicitor general.

With files from Hana Mae Nassar and Robyn Crawford