The Township of Langley is concluding its 2024 budgeting process and is moving forward with a 6.88% budget/property tax increase for this year. 

The Langley Chamber had challenged Council to push the tax increase lower than the 7.59% originally proposed given the impact this has on businesses' property taxes, and we identified several possible areas of savings, so we are pleased to have seen effort to that end.

The Township budget covers the full operating expenditures for the municipal government, including things such as police services, fire protection, recreation facilities, parks, roads maintenance and utilities such as stormwater. Highlights of the operating budget this year include:

• Firefighters: This increase includes the costs for the annualization of 11 firefighters added in 2023.
• RCMP: This includes both the annual increase for the current contracted officers as well as the addition of two new officers in October of 2024. 
• Bylaw Enforcement Officers: Three officers and their required equipment has been added to the budget starting July 1,2024.
• Additional Staffing: This includes staffing to improve service levels in the areas of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections as well as Community Planning to improve application processing.
• Community Events: An additional $241,000 for enhancing community events
• Snow and Ice Sidewalk Clearing:  $642,000 for new snow and ice clearing teams
• Paving:  $742,000 for additional road paving 

Our recommendations to Township Council to further reduce the budget increase this year included:

• Find reductions in spending or increases in revenue to further reduce the proposed tax increase below the current 7.01%
  • Possible suggestions include:
    • Phasing-in of the new $642,000 snow and ice removal program
    • Increasing the paving budget by a lesser amount than the current $742,000 increase
    • Phasing in of the proposed three additional bylaw enforcement officers 
    • Re-evaluate recreation revenue forecasts for possible increased revenue 
• Consider efforts to reduce the difference between Business and Residential property taxes, currently at a 3.27:1 ratio 
• Adjust future budget timetables for more robust public consultation which does not overlap with the holidays as this year
• Debt: In addition, we have continued to urge Council to consider carefully the ongoing carrying costs from increased debt being taken on, including principal and interest payments, which are now budgeted at nearly $30 million in the 2024 Operating Budget. 

Read our letter to Council here or below > 

See the Initial 2024 Proposed Operating Budget >