Image: City of Mission / Mission Mayor Paul Horn (centre back) with councillors. The City of Mission says municipal councillors have worked to lower what was originally projected as a double-digit property tax increase in 2025. 

By Mike Vanden Bosch

City of Mission

City of Mission no longer expects a double-digit property tax increase in 2025

Jan 7, 2025 | 3:15 PM

MISSION — The City of Mission says municipal councillors have worked to lower what was originally projected as a double-digit property tax increase in the coming year.

According to a statement Tuesday afternoon (Jan. 7) from the municipality, the City of Mission now says its 2025 tax increase will not exceed 6.65 per cent, following two days of deliberations at the end of November 2024. Further work is being done to try to reduce the 6.65 projected tax increase even more from what was once believed to be a 10.53 per cent tax hike.

“Council understands that affordability and public safety are both front-of-mind for Mission residents so we are working hard to find a balance between the two,” said Mayor Paul Horn. “We are taking community feedback seriously and have extended our usual timeline to further explore opportunities for efficiency. Our aim will be to reduce the proposed increase even further, and we have asked our staff team to look at further options.”

Council will next debate the budget on Monday, Jan. 20 during the regular council meeting. The agenda will be posted on mission.ca/webcast later next week.

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City Council started budget deliberations in the summer with a proposed tax increase of approximately 10 per cent, which was primarily attributed to rising costs in service delivery, infrastructure maintenance needs, staffing contracts, and commitments to long-term projects.

As part of this budgeting process, the City engaged the community with a Citizen Satisfaction Survey in the summer to better understand how residents feel about the services they receive for the money they pay. A budget survey and information sessions took place in early November to gather more feedback and to provide details on the proposed budget.

Throughout the November budget meetings, Council participated in a comprehensive review of all departmental budgets. This included identifying areas for efficiency improvements, cost-cutting measures, and prioritizing critical services and functions.

By comparison, Chilliwack City Council recently approved a 7.17 per cent property tax increase for 2025 that places a heavy emphasis on additional public safety positions like more RCMP members, RCMP support staff, firefighters and bylaw staff.