Image: City of Mission / Mayor Paul Horn (back row, centre) and Mission City Council members are pictured. The City of Mission is planning a 5.7% property tax increase in its 2023 Financial Plan. Chilliwack City Council adopted a 4.4% property tax increase at its meeting earlier this week.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Mission tax increase

City of Mission plans 5.7% tax increase for 2023, higher than Chilliwack’s 4.4% tax hike

Jan 13, 2023 | 11:10 AM

MISSION — Around the same time that Chilliwack City Council adopted a 4.4 per cent tax increase for its 2023 Financial Plan, the City of Mission is planning an even higher property tax increase for its property owners.

In a news release Friday morning (Jan. 13), the City of Mission announced that it plans to hike property taxes by 5.7 per cent. The municipality is gathering community feedback on the 2023 Budget and 2023-2027 Financial Plan. Each year the City’s Financial Plan is updated to ensure it aligns with community priorities as Mission moves into the future.

“Whether we are running a household or a city, the subject of affordability is on all of our minds,” said Mayor Paul Horn. “These are difficult times for all and we will have some challenging decisions to make. That’s why we’re asking that you give us a little of your time to ensure that you’re informed and heard.”

The proposed 5.77% increase would result in an average increase of $219 in municipal taxes and utility levies based on an average residential property assessment, the city said in a statement.

This past summer and fall, community members shared their thoughts on service levels and their quality of life in the Annual Citizen Satisfaction Survey. This feedback helped guide staff and Council as they developed the proposed operating budget for the current year.

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With rising inflation impacting costs across the globe, the 2023 Budget is focussed on maintaining existing day-to-day service levels while ensuring the City of Mission proactively keeps up with the needs of a growing community.

Affordability and high-quality service delivery were both top of mind for Council as they formulated the budget, as well as the responsible management of resources and reserves.

As part of the process, Council considered reducing overall staffing levels, but determined a reduction in services was not aligned with the feedback shared in the Citizen Satisfaction Survey. Instead, the community will be invited to share their thoughts on a series of items Council identified in the operating budget as areas they would appreciate additional input. These items have been listed in the survey.

Input gathered throughout this engagement will be presented to Council on Feb. 6 and used to inform decision making.

Council is expected to vote on the final bylaw, which will set the budget and property tax increase, on Mar. 20.

Visit engage.mission.ca.

by Mike Vanden Bosch

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City of Mission plans 5.7% tax increase for 2023, higher than Chilliwack’s 4.4% tax hike

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