Administrative costs are expected to rise sharply at the Fraser Valley Regional District over the next year.
Increased spending on fire dispatch, parks, administration and mosquito control is expected to see the Fraser Valley Regional District ask for about $500,000 more from the residents of Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Harrison Hot Springs, Hope, Kent and Mission. That would amount to a funding increase of about 6.3 per cent.
Spending on “general government and administration” is set for one of the largest jumps, with spending forecast to rise by more than 18 per cent.
In an email, FVRD chair Jason Lum said the administration money would go to increase staff in a number of departments, “including finances, administration, purchasing and risk management, communications and information technology.”
The FVRD provides an array of regional services, but the district’s total spend amounts to a relatively small part of most property owners’ annual tax bill.
The owner of a $650,000 home in Abbotsford paid just under $55 last year. If the proposed budget passes, Abbotsford residents would see their tax requisition rise by 7.49 per cent. That would amount to an increase of just under $3 for the owner of that $650,000 home (assuming its value shifts in tandem with the city-wide average).
Residents of Chilliwack, Mission, Kent, and Harrison would see almost identical increases. Hope taxpayers will pay a couple dollars extra because the FVRD runs its arena and pool, which require slightly more money.
The cost of the FVRD government is responsible for the largest chunk of the half-million-dollar increase in regional costs. The cost of that sector is set to rise by 18 per cent.
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