PROPERTY TAX BUMP
Paying to fight fentanyl
Expenses are going up next year for Vancouver homeowners after city council approved Tuesday a 3.9 per cent property-tax increase to help pay for its 2017 budget. That increase includes a 0.5 per cent hike that will be devoted to battling the fentanyl crisis.
The fentanyl-specific increase was a last-minute add-on to the broader budget, which also passed Tuesday, and will nearly double council’s contingency funds from $4 million to $7.5 million.
Non-Partisan Association councillors like Melissa De Genova came out against the added increase, arguing it would make the city even less affordable by hitting homeowners directly, and being passed down to renters. De Genova noted there was no consultation on the fentanyl addition and urged the city to instead press senior governments to increase funding for the opioid crisis.
NPA Coun. George Affleck said if there is a crisis, it should be tackled today, using revenue sources that already exist, rather than waiting until next year. He characterized the extra cash as going toward a “nebulous sort of fund that will be used in the future and embedded as part of our operating budget forever,” and claimed Vision Vancouver councillors were “playing fast and loose” with taxpayers’ money.
The city’s $1.32-billion 2017 operating budget is up 4.6 per cent over that of 2016, while the capital budget jumped nearly 50 per cent. Like property taxes, revenue from utility and other fees is also going up to help cover expenses. Those fees are set to rise by 1.2 per cent.
Depending on housing type, the fentanyl-specific increase will cost median homeowners between $4 and $11 apiece in 2017, according to a memorandum from staff.
For Green party Coun. Adriane Carr, that’s a worthwhile expense.
“This is such a small amount of money, but to give us an additional $3.5 million … gives us a substantial amount of money to be able to tackle what is an unbelievable crisis in this city,” she said.
Among the areas that could receive funds raised by the tax are mental-health support for front-line workers, educational programs for youth, additional outreach workers, a community policing station in Strathcona and an additional Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services medic unit.
While city staff will need to return to council next year for approval of specific items like that medic unit, Vancouver fire Chief John McKearney welcomed the prospect of additional help, noting that overdoses and subsequent cardiac and respiratory arrests had sent call volumes soaring.