Nearly 1,000 people gave their opinions to the City of Port Coquitlam after it asked the community for its thoughts on the draft budget.
The financial plan for 2025 proposes a $95.82 property tax lift plus another $172.44 in utilities for the average homeowner in PoCo — one of the lowest increases in Metro Vancouver, Mayor Brad West told the city’s committee of council on March 11 while reviewing a summary of the feedback (Coun. Dean Washington was not at the city hall meeting).
In total, PoCo’s outreach on its draft budget garnered 943 responses, about double of what most other municipalities receive, financial manager Kushal Pachchigar said, and represent a diverse age and housing range.
Still, the January survey, which included a chance to win a $150 gift card to a PoCo business, gained 581 fewer responses than last year, his report showed.
Pachchigar said based on what the city heard from residents and their current satisfaction with how tax dollars are being spent, civic managers won’t be tweaking the draft plan and, as a result, will be finalizing the 2025-29 financial plan bylaw for council consideration in late April.
As previously reported in the Tri-City News, the proposed $121.4-million operating budget doesn’t include money to hire more RCMP or firefighters; however, it does include a big uptick in utility fees to pay for the cost overruns of Metro Vancouver’s North Shore Waste Water Treatment Plant, as well as the city’s new glass collection program.
West said the budget consultation shored up “interesting” results, with residents split in their views.
But, the mayor said, for the core services like roads, transportation and parks, the consultation reaffirmed the city is aligned with the community’s priorities, adding, “Affordability is so ingrained in everything we do.”
Coun. Glenn Pollock specifically noted the divide on the city hosting festivals and special events while Coun. Nancy McCurrach cited comments about the lack of family doctors and the need for urgent care in the city.
Coun. Darrell Penner also asked if the inconsistent responses were because of the way the questions were posed.
Here are some budget survey highlights from the 531-page report:
What would you pay more taxes for? (ranked in order of priority)
- roads and road maintenance
- active transportation
- parks, sports fields/courts, trails
- traffic control
- utilities
- police services
- recreation and cultural programs, and facilities
- bylaw enforcement
- public parking/affordable housing
- garbage, recycling and green cart
- city cleanliness
- public transit
- fire services
- festival and special events
Do you feel you get value for your tax dollars?
- yes = 74 per cent
- no = 9 per cent
- undecided = 17 per cent
📣 Got an opinion on this story or any others in the Tri-Cities? Send us a letter or email your thoughts or story tips to [email protected].
📲 Want to stay updated on Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Anmore and Belcarra news? Sign up for our free daily newsletter.
💬 Words missing in an article? Your adblocker might be preventing hyperlinked text from appearing.
