Image: City of Chilliwack / Chilliwack resident Lisa Morry, who ran for Chilliwack city council in 2018 but lost, speaks to council members during Tuesday night's council meeting. Morry, a resident of Promontory, expressed concerns over the summer fire that happened on Chilliwack Lake Road and encroached into Promontory's hillside. She lamented the lack of additional firefighter staffing, saying the city's budget will only hire one additional full-time firefighter in 2024.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Property tax increase

Chilliwack council OK’s 7.3% property tax increase; resident says more firefighters needed

Dec 7, 2023 | 9:53 AM

CHILLIWACK — Despite comments from a few members of the public, Chilliwack city council unanimously approved a 7.32 per cent property tax increase at its meeting on Tuesday night (Dec. 5).

During a presentation involving the 2024 Financial Plan, Glen Savard, a chartered professional accountant and director of finance for the City of Chilliwack, said the city continues to be in an enviable financial position with no debt, a philosophy of pay as you go, low property taxes, quality facilities, amenities and services to the community. Savard told council that 2024 budgetary challenges abound due to continued and persistent high inflation in local and global economies, meaning municipalities like Chilliwack are not immune from the effects of inflation. Savard advised council that not only are all municipalities facing similar overall pressures, but there are cost containment challenges including contracted services such as the RCMP, and routine and preventative maintenance to facilities and infrastructure. As an example of inflationary pressures, the cost of asphalt has increased 46 per cent since 2021, Savard said. The property tax increase of 7.32 per cent enables the city meet its financial obligations and costs to meet council’s objectives.

Savard said Chilliwack had a 4.48 per cent tax increase for its 2023 Financial Plan, and told council that many municipalities in the region had a higher tax increase than Chilliwack in 2023. By comparison, Abbotsford had a 5.98 per cent tax increase. Surrey had a 12.5 per cent increase in 2023. Port Coquitlam had the lowest regional tax increase. at 3.73 per cent.

Chilliwack resident Lisa Morry spoke during Tuesday’s meeting and expressed concern over the city’s plan to hire only one additional full-time firefighter in the 2024 Financial Plan. As a resident of Promontory, she said she was actually frightened that a fire that erupted on Chilliwack Lake Road in July would spread throughout Promontory.

“This summer, on the evening of July 20, a fire on a property on Chilliwack Lake Road was visible as a plume of smoke in the distance behind my house,” said Morry, who ran for Chilliwack council in 2018 but lost. “It was my understanding that the fire department was stretched in responding to that incident, and it was due to good luck the fire didn’t spread further than it did. The woods were especially dry that day when the fire started. I was actually frightened. I thought possibly this would be the one, the fire that spread from house to house and potentially kill people.”

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Morry says Promontory has over 11,000 residents and only two roads going in and out of it, including a narrow, windy road that often backs up during commuting hours. She compared Promontory to Harrison Hot Springs, a village of 1,905 people that has 20 paid on-call firefighters, because Harrison has one primary road going in and out of the community. She urged the city to hire an independent, reputable consultant that would determine what level of fire protection Chilliwack needs.

Councillor Bud Mercer responded to Morry’s remarks with his own account of what happened that night in Promontory. The fire began on Chilliwack Lake Road and spread up the hillside behind Bridle Ridge Crescent.

Image: City of Chilliwack / Councillor Bud Mercer addressed comments from Lisa Morry about the summer fire in Chilliwack, saying there was an adequate response from fire personnel.

“Just a comment on Promontory. It’s near and dear to my heart because that fire was right behind my house,” Mercer said. “I have the figures because I called 911. The first full fire truck was on scene in eight minutes; two additional fire trucks were there within 13 minutes from the first call. A full complement of regional district firefighters attacking it from Chilliwack Lake Road. Within 30 minutes, there was a helicopter overhead, which is what the province practices for wildfires and bush areas. I can assure you that as a resident that was under stress watching it from our deck, and taking plenty of videos, we felt quite comfortable and safe. I’ll leave it at that.”

A city staff report reveals that provincial statistics show Chilliwack has the lowest business and property general taxation levels among 19 Lower Mainland communities. It credits Chilliwack’s no-debt capital financing policy in part for the lower taxes. But it also recognizes the policy may have to change when it states, “there are compromises that must be made in ensuring financial obligations and service needs are being met, while keeping property taxes as affordable as possible for the community.”

Staff had recommended that council move forward with the Financial Plan in its current state, conduct a public information meeting for Chilliwack residents as it did on Tuesday, December 5, and following adjustments made in the wake of public input, council would adopt the Financial Plan and deliver it to the province by the deadline of May 15.

The ten-year Financial Plan undertaken by Chilliwack ensures the city will meet its legal obligations under B.C.’s Community Charter. It’s meant to strategically assist municipalities in fiscal planning for future civic needs.