Mayor Scott Goodmanson says the big-ticket expenses are coming after years of “artificially low taxes” set by the previous council
Langford residents could be in for a hefty tax hike to save its only swimming pool and to cover the costs of increasing fire and police services in the fast-growing municipality.
He said the tax breaks were offset with money from the municipal reserves. Now council is facing extra costs because of its rapid population growth — the population soared past 50,000 this year and is projected to hit 103,000 by 2045. Goodmanson said Langford has to sometimes rely on mutual-aid agreements with Colwood and View Royal to have enough firefighters to attack a house fire. “With towers coming in numbers to the core, we will be required to have 36 firefighters [on the scene] of a potential fire and we already have several buildings in the 10-storey range.”
The city also needs to hire six more staff to keep up with the demands of its increasing population. The new hires in bylaw enforcement, accounting, office, arts and parks would amount to $311,000 in 2023 and $600,000 for the full year of 2024. A 1% tax increase is the equivalent of $380,000. Since 2020, Westhills has deferred rent for the organization, which has been struggling to attract members during the pandemic, to the tune of $1.6 million.City staff told council that if it doubles its annual contribution to the recreation centre, the city should conduct a governance and operational review to ensure residents are getting the best possible services for the money spent.
“You know it’s a really great facility. It’s clean and has great staff … and it’s five minutes from my place.”
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