
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Prince George, BC – After two days of deliberations, City Council passed the 2025 tax levy that equals an increase of approximately $169.22 per average representative home (valued at $453,777) or 6.21 per cent.
“The deliberations were thorough and encompassed a wide range of critical issues,” said Mayor Simon Yu.
“Our focus has always been on striking the right balance for our residents, carefully examining every area for potential efficiencies. We prioritized ensuring that all voices were heard and engaged in thoughtful questioning to guide us in making the most informed decisions for the community.”
An overview of City finances presented to Council by Administration on Monday, January 20, revealed the extent higher-than-normal inflationary pressures are having on the municipal budget.
Prince George’s substantial geographic footprint and the need to maintain aging infrastructure intended for a far larger community also present ongoing financial challenges to the City budget. Other significant budget impacts highlighted were the RCMP contract with the City funding 139 positions, transit increases as per the City’s Annual Operating Agreement with BC Transit, and increased costs for line painting traffic control, concrete and asphalt.
Revenue collected through the levy will sustain current service levels and operational needs. The proposed 2025 Financial Plan provided for general operating expenditures of approximately $179 million (with the tax levy increase of 6.21 per cent).
Notable amendments approved by Council during the meeting include (all amounts listed include wages and benefits):
- A 1 per cent cut, or $28,000, to the Human Resources budget.
- Cutting the outreach program at a savings of $210,000.
- A reduction of the snow removal budget of $1,000,000 (with no plans to change the service level).
- RCMP enhancements of:
- One assistant manager position $140,093.
- One guard position $96,785.
- Four RCMP members (as the members will not be recruited until late summer only half the wages are needed for 2025) – $469,666 in 2025 and $469,666 in 2026.
- Five firefighter positions and the promotion of four senior firefighters to lieutenants $732,122.
- One community engagement coordinator in the communications division $106,797.
- One parks recreation and event coordinator $108,287.
- $100,000 for parks event hosting such as Canada Day.
- One parks planning position $112,424.
- Two parks arborists $198,574, as well as the specialized equipment of one arboriculture equipped bucket truck at $575,000 and one commercial scale chipper $126,500. This enhancement will take a full year to procure and implement and will not impact the levy until 2026.
When residents receive their tax bill, only 70 per cent of the amount is for services provided by the City of Prince George. The City collects the remaining 30 per cent on behalf of non-municipal authorities like:
- The Province of BC for school taxes
- The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George
- The Regional 911- service
- The Fraser-Fort George Regional Hospital
- BC Assessment
- The Municipal Finance Authority
The next step for council from here is to deliberate on the tax rates per property value and class (residential/business/industrial). This process begins on February 26 at the next Finance & Audit committee meeting.
Additional information and resources are available here. And the agenda for the budget meetings with all department budgets can be found here.
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Media contact:
Claire Thwaites, senior communications advisor
Mobile: 778-349-1386
Email: media@princegeorge.ca