Pitt Meadow resident Tom Murray is set to put pens to paper again in his push for no residential tax increases in the city’s 2014 budget.
Murray launched a petition in July 2013 and collected more than 1,300 names in hopes of pressuring local council to come in with a zero tax increase for the fiscal year.
When the final budget was past last November, council settled on a 3.1 per cent hike in 2013.
Murray said he’s going to continue to push council to at least consider the idea of no municipal take hike and is launching another petition.
“I know we can’t always have hold the line on taxes, but it’s worth looking at for one year,” he said. “There’s got to be a way where they can cut spending and hold the line on wage increases.”
Murray, a former school board trustee, launched the petition after a staff report to Pitt Meadows council suggested general taxes will increase about four per cent annually over the next five years. Murray looked to communities like Mission and West Vancouver that promised no tax increases in their 2012 budgets.
He said he will be going door-to-door in hopes of building on last year’s momentum and hopes to gather 2,500 signatures.
Pitt Meadows Mayor Deb Walters said Murray has every right to seek a zero tax increase, but that the reality of the ever-increasing costs of doing business makes it a difficult task to accomplish.
“The reality is, you have to cut something out to get to zero,” said Walters.
The mayor said the city is faced with substantial increases in tipping fees and water costs associated with Metro Vancouver. She said transit fees with Metro go up three per cent each year, regardless.
“Our goal is always to keep taxes as low as possible. I’m a taxpayer, too,” said Walters.
But the mayor said the city has to think long-term, as well, as infrastructure costs mount on replacing items such as pump stations along the flood plain.
Murray said the least council can do it hold the line on wages. He said the tax burden is forcing families out of the region.
According to financial statements released by the City of Pitt Meadows, the mayor’s salary saw an increase of $16,000 from 2008 to 2010, climbing to $63,220 from $47,160.
In the same period, councillors saw a $7,217 increase, from $17,544 in 2008 to $24,761.
Financial documents for 2012 have not been released, yet.
But according to the Pitt Meadows director of finance, councillors made $24,780 in 2012, while the mayor made $66,081.
Salary rates for council are adjusted each year according to a formula based on the median of the published salary of all Metro Vancouver mayors for the immediately preceding year.
The formula was put into place in 2008 following the recommendations of an independent committee of citizens.
