Average Surrey home will pay $137 more in taxes

Taxes are set to rise by $137 for the average Surrey home this year.

The city’s finance committee endorsed the hikes at a meeting Monday.

The jump includes a propertytax increase of $72 (or 3.9 per cent) for the average single-family dwelling, assessed at $720,400 this year. It will “predominantly be used to offset increased public-safety resourcing and expenditures,” according to a city report.

There is another property-tax increase of about $10 (or 0.54 per cent) for the average, single-family dwelling that will be used to support the city’s capital plans. This increase is to the city’s controversial $100 Capital Parcel Tax, introduced in 2014 weeks after Surrey First swept all the council seats.

An increase to the road and traffic levy of about $18 for the average single-family dwelling is planned, and utilities are set to rise an average of $37.

Though the increases haven’t been officially approved in a citycouncil meeting, the committee is made up of all of council, so its endorsements typically pass.

Additional funding needs in 2017 for public safety are $13.4 million, according to a city report, and total 2017 funding needs are $29 million. The report notes the increases will be funded by a combination of property-tax increases ($14.5 million), revenue generated from new growth ($6 million), and a 3.9 per cent fee increase and other revenue changes ($8.4 million).

The report notes public safety continues to be a “critical priority” for Surrey and the city plans to add 12 Mounties to the force in 2017 (at a cost of $327,000), bringing the total number of members to 831.