The City of Delta is proposing a 2.99 per cent tax increase this year.
Still to be considered for adoption by council, the increase according to the finance department works out to about $70 for the homes in Delta that now have an average value of $976,500. The increase only applies to the Delta portion of the property tax bill and not what the other authorities, such as TransLink, will take from homeowners. The utility bill would then be added on top of that in a separate upcoming increase.
The breakdown of the latest increase includes just under one per cent for city services, 0.3 per cent for sports fields, tracks and recreation facilities, 0.3 per cent for senior and social services, 0.2 per cent for the new Delta Families First Program, one per cent for community services, recreation and public safety, and one per cent to pay the provincial government’s new Employer Health Tax.
“I am committed to taking Delta to a new level of excellence in services, community facilities and infrastructure, while keeping taxes low and the City debt-free. I want families to know that their tax dollars are going towards City programs and infrastructure improvements, not debt payments, positioning our City for the future.” said Mayor George Harvie in a news release.
Last year, the previous council approved a property tax increase of 1.95 per cent, which worked out to about $45 for the average home. That didn’t include a $25 hike to the utility bill, nor what other taxing authorities took. In 2017, council approved a 2.75 per cent property tax hike, which worked out to a $61 increase for the average home, and the previous year saw a 3.5 per cent hike that translated into an increase of approximately $75.
Delta residents are once again invited to provide their ideas on the city’s spending priorities beginning Thursday, Jan. 24 by visiting http://delta.citizenbudget.com “to simulate their own Delta City budget by allocating tax dollars to their preferred funding categories and experience the decisions Council faces when developing the annual budget.”
Residents are also asked to provide feedback on Delta’s 2019 Financial Plan by Feb. 1 via the web at delta.citizenbudget.com, email at [email protected] or by phone at 604-946-3230.
The financial plan can be seen by visiting http://delta.ca/docs/default-source/finance/2019-financial-plan.pdf?sfvrsn=10
