Be like PoCo?
A New Westminster city councillor wants council to visit Port Coquitlam to see how it operates. On Monday, New West city council will consider a motion from Coun. Pau Minhas that the city establish a delegation to visit Port Coquitlam to review best practices for limiting tax increases while increasing services.
Minhas’s motion states that the City of Port Coquitlam has consistently registered some of the lowest year-over-year property tax increases in Metro Vancouver for the past decade and beyond, yet it has “proudly continued to expand core services” for its residents and businesses.
According to the motion, that includes the recent addition of 57 free parking spaces in Port Coquitlam’s downtown core.
The motion asks that the mayor request a meeting with elected officials and senior city staff from Port Coquitlam to explore if any of its best practices could be implemented locally, with a goal of limiting future property taxes while enhancing service standards.
Minhas’s motion states that the City of New Westminster experienced a “record high” level of property tax in 2023. (The Record has reached out to the finance department for confirmation.)
In a 5-2 vote, New Westminster city council approved a 6.4 per cent property tax increase in 2023. In another 5-2 vote, council recently directed staff to bring forward a financial plan bylaw incorporating a 7.7 per cent property tax increase for 2024.
In December, Port Coquitlam announced its draft 2024 budget would include a 5.58 per cent property tax increase.
That’s less than the 8.92 per cent increase approved by the City of Coquitlam in December, but more than the 4.5 per cent property tax increase approved by Burnaby council in January.
