An affordable housing fund, more bike lanes and funding for the arts are just some of the projected budget expenditures that will increase taxes in the City of Victoria next year.
And tonight, you can tell the city what you think about the 2018 budget.
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Residents of Victoria are invited to City Hall tonight (Nov. 30) to ask questions and provide feedback. There will be an open house at 6:30 p.m., with a town hall beginning at 7 p.m. You can read more about the city’s budget, about the police budget, or try the city’s budget simulator to see how your taxes will be spent.
If you can’t make it in person, you can submit questions beforehand or in real time and watch the webcast live to listen for the answer. Join the Facebook event, submit questions on Twitter using the hashtag #VicTownHall, or submit questions using an online form. You can also call 250-361-0327 once the meeting has begun and the question will be transcribed.
Last month, city council concluded preliminary discussions on the $233.3-million preliminary budget and passed the Draft 2018-2022 Financial Plan. The proposed property tax increase, with utility fees is estimated at a 2.8 per cent.
Some highlights from the budget include:
- Affordable housing reserve: $250,000
- Victoria police: $55 mil.
- Fire service: $17 mil.
- Recreation and facilities: $25 mil. – Crystal Pool: $2.5 mil., and $10.6 mil. for parks
- Arts and events: $1.6 mil.