DocumentsBylawApr 15, 2019Pages 63–68
BYLAW NO. 1837 – City of Langford 2019-2023 Financial Plan Bylaw No. 1837, 2019 (FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD READINGS)
Bylaw No. 1837 presents the City of Langford 2019–2023 Financial Plan for readings (first, second and third readings requested).
Key facts
- Bylaw number: 1837
- Subject: City of Langford 2019–2023 Financial Plan
- Agenda action: First, Second and Third Readings requested
- Implication: establishes multi-year financial plan (2019-2023)
BYLAW NO. 1837 – City of Langford 2019-2023 Financial Plan Bylaw No. 1837, 2019 (FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD READINGS)
2nd Floor · 877 Goldstream Avenue · Langford, BC Canada · V9B 2X8
T · 250-478-7882 F · 250-478-7864
Staff Report to Council
Date: 15/04/2019
Department: Finance
Subject: 2019-2023 Five-Year Financial Plan Bylaw No. 1837 and 2019 Tax Rates Bylaw No. 1838
Background
The Community Charter requires Councils to adopt a Five-Year Financial Plan (the Plan) each year and, after the adoption of the Plan but before May 15th, to adopt a tax rate bylaw. Bylaws No. 1837 and No. 1838 satisfy these requirements. Copies of these bylaws are attached.
Commentary
At the Regular Council Meeting on March 4, 2019, Council approved the 2019-2023 Five Year Financial Plan and directed staff to bring forward the 2019-2023 Five Year Financial Plan Bylaw, 2019 and the Tax Rates Bylaw 2019.
City of Langford 2019-2023 Financial Plan Bylaw No. 1837, 2019 gives authority for the City to spend for operating and capital purposes in 2019.
City of Langford Tax Rates Bylaw No. 1838, 2019 gives authority for the City to levy taxes for municipal, regional district and hospital purposes in 2019.
Council also considers the distribution of taxes among property classes with the objective of maintaining a stable and equitable burden. Council has determined that the burden on commercial properties is not competitive and has embarked on a program of reducing the commercial multiple by 0.05 each year for 10 years. The multiple has been set at 2.85 for 2019.
Options
That Council:
- Give City of Langford 2019-2023 Financial Plan Bylaw No. 1837, 2019 three readings, and
- That commercial class multiples in 2019 be set at 2.85, and
- Give City of Langford Tax Rates Bylaw No. 1838, 2019 three readings
Respectfully Submitted,
Submitted by:
Michael Dillabaugh, CPA, CA, Director of Finance
Concurrence
Darren Kiedyk, Chief Administrative Officer
CITY OF LANGFORD
BYLAW NO. 1837
A BYLAW TO ADOPT A FINANCIAL PLAN FOR 2019 – 2023
WHEREAS under the Community Charter the municipality must have a financial plan adopted by bylaw before the annual property tax bylaw is adopted;
AND WHEREAS through a public process the financial plan has been presented and the public has had an opportunity to comment;
AND WHEREAS Council deems this to be a process of public consultation as required by the Community Charter,
NOW THEREFORE the Council of the City of Langford, in open meeting assembled, enacts as follows:
- Schedule “A” attached hereto and forming part of this bylaw comprises the City of Langford Consolidated Five Year Financial Plan for 2019 – 2023
- Schedule “B” attached hereto and forming part of this bylaw comprises the City of Langford Revenue and Property Tax Policy Disclosure.
- This bylaw may be cited for all purposes as “City of Langford 2019-2023 Financial Plan Bylaw No. 1837, 2019”.
READ A FIRST TIME this day of April, 2019.
READ A SECOND TIME this day of April, 2019.
READ A THIRD TIME this day of April, 2019.
ADOPTED this day of May, 2019.
PRESIDING COUNCIL MEMBER
(Certified Correct)
CORPORATE OFFICER
Schedule "A" — Consolidated Financial Plan 2019-2023 (Bylaw No. 1837)
| Item / Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REVENUES: | |||||
| External Revenues | |||||
| Development Fees | |||||
| Development Cost Charges | 6,522,792 | 2,215,000 | 2,735,000 | 2,690,000 | 1,220,000 |
| Developer Contributions | 6,001,900 | 750,000 | 50,000 | 400,000 | 850,000 |
| Other Capital Contributions | - | - | - | - | - |
| Development Fees Total | 12,524,692 | 2,965,000 | 2,785,000 | 3,090,000 | 2,070,000 |
| Municipal Property Taxes | 30,966,989 | 33,473,417 | 35,665,893 | 37,882,449 | 40,177,995 |
| Parcel Taxes | 1,990,500 | 1,962,500 | 2,021,500 | 2,071,000 | 2,042,300 |
| Fees and Charges | 7,842,300 | 7,877,600 | 7,651,500 | 7,073,802 | 7,119,708 |
| Interest | 410,000 | 420,000 | 430,000 | 440,000 | 450,000 |
| Grants From Other Governments | 14,128,167 | 4,148,640 | 8,912,495 | 3,116,003 | 3,137,816 |
| Other Sources | 4,645,635 | 1,976,080 | 1,979,500 | 2,082,900 | 2,486,400 |
| Total External Revenues | 72,508,283 | 52,823,237 | 59,445,888 | 55,756,154 | 57,484,219 |
| EXPENDITURES: | |||||
| External Expenditures | |||||
| Operating Expenditures | 41,100,691 | 41,993,097 | 43,585,893 | 45,118,454 | 46,990,119 |
| Interest Payments on Debt | 810,300 | 798,000 | 850,700 | 898,800 | 871,000 |
| Capital Expenditures | 43,705,292 | 9,678,858 | 12,063,861 | 5,595,000 | 5,787,000 |
| Total External Expenditures | 85,616,283 | 52,469,955 | 56,500,454 | 51,612,254 | 53,648,119 |
| CHANGE IN NET FINANCIAL POSITION | (13,108,000) | 353,282 | 2,945,434 | 4,143,900 | 3,836,100 |
| OTHER REVENUES: | |||||
| Borrowing Proceeds | 4,500,000 | - | 750,000 | 1,000,000 | - |
| OTHER EXPENDITURES: | |||||
| Principal Payments on Debt | 2,157,900 | 1,631,500 | 1,656,400 | 1,651,400 | 1,650,500 |
| TOTAL REVENUES LESS EXPENDITURES | 10,765,900 -$ | 1,278,218 -$ | 2,039,034 $ | 3,492,500 $ | 2,185,600 $ |
| INTERNAL TRANSFERS: | |||||
| Transfer from Reserve Funds | |||||
| Affordable Housing | 17,600 | 18,000 | 18,400 | 18,800 | 19,200 |
| Capital Works & Equipment | 2,538,500 | 2,625,000 | 650,000 | 300,000 | 1,325,000 |
| Equipment Replacement | 592,200 | 2,538,500 | 150,000 | 75,000 | 1,325,000 |
| Parks & Open Space | 1,000,000 | - | - | - | - |
| Park Improvement | - | - | - | - | - |
| Sidewalk Capital | - | - | - | - | - |
| Police Building Capital (transfer) | 150,000 | - | - | - | - |
| General Amenity | 6,572,500 | 2,111,718 | 1,191,466 | 852,000 | 852,000 |
| Transfer from Reserve Fund Total | 10,870,800 | 7,293,218 | 2,009,866 | 1,245,800 | 3,521,200 |
| Less: Transfer to Reserve and Capital Funds | |||||
| Reserves: | |||||
| Police Building Capital (to reserves) | 14,500 | 5,000 | 15,300 | 11,200 | 7,200 |
| Capital Works & Equipment (to reserves) | 2,365,600 | 1,665,600 | 1,835,000 | 2,105,000 | 2,405,000 |
| Equipment Replacement (to reserves) | 650,000 | 700,000 | 800,000 | 850,000 | 900,000 |
| Infrastructure Sustainability / General Capital Fund | 118,000 | 118,000 | 118,000 | 118,000 | 118,000 |
| Subtotal Transfers to Reserves | 3,148,100 | 2,488,600 | 2,768,300 | 3,084,200 | 3,430,200 |
| Transfers from(to) Surplus | 2,036,600 | - | 300,000 | 200,000 | 300,000 |
| Transfers from(to) Reserve Accounts | 1,006,600 | (3,526,400) | (1,580,600) | (1,854,100) | (2,576,600) |
| TOTAL INTERNAL TRANSFERS | 10,765,900 $ | 1,278,218 $ | 2,039,034 -$ | 3,492,500 -$ | 2,185,600 -$ |
Consolidated Financial Plan 2019-2023
Schedule "A" — Bylaw No. 1837
Schedule "B" — Revenue and Property Tax Policy Disclosure (Bylaw No. 1837)
Other Sources includes grants from other governments and agencies, development contributions to capital, interest and penalties and miscellaneous sales of services.
Objectives and Policies
Property tax revenue is the City’s primary revenue source, and one which is heavily reliant on the residential class. Diversification of the tax base and generation of non-tax revenue are ongoing objectives. Except in extraordinary circumstances, tax increases are kept to cost of living or less.
Parcel Charges are comprised of local area service debt servicing costs for roads.
Fees & Charges are a tool used for cost recovery. Various fees are reviewed every 1-5 years to ensure that they are adequate to recover costs of providing specific services.
Other Sources will vary greatly from year to year as it includes such items as:
- Development cost charges used to fund DCC capital projects,
- Contributions from others for capital,
- Interest earned on funds invested in accordance with the City’s investment policy,
- Grants, which are sought from other governments and government agencies, often to be leveraged with City funds,
- Casino revenue sharing income.
Proceeds from Borrowing – Debt is used where it makes sense such as for urgent projects or to leverage grants where internal funding is not available. Caution is necessary when considering debt as it commits future cash flows to debt payments, restricting the ability to use those funds to provide other services. The source of the debt payments needs to be considered as does the justification for advancing the project.
REVENUE DISCLOSURE — Revenue Proportions
| Revenue Type | 2019 ($'000s / %) | 2020 ($'000s / %) | 2021 ($'000s / %) | 2022 ($'000s / %) | 2023 ($'000s / %) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property Taxes | 30,967 / 40% | 33,473 / 64% | 35,666 / 60% | 37,882 / 66% | 40,178 / 70% |
| Parcel Charges | 1,991 / 3% | 1,963 / 4% | 2,022 / 3% | 2,071 / 4% | 2,042 / 4% |
| Fees | 7,842 / 10% | 7,878 / 15% | 7,652 / 13% | 7,074 / 12% | 7,120 / 12% |
| Other Sources | 31,708 / 41% | 9,511 / 18% | 14,107 / 23% | 8,728 / 16% | 8,144 / 14% |
| Proceeds From Borrowing | 4,500 / 6% | 0 / 0% | 750 / 1% | 1,000 / 2% | 0 / 0% |
| Total | 77,008 / 100% | 52,825 / 101% | 60,197 / 100% | 56,755 / 100% | 57,484 / 100% |
Schedule "B" — Revenue and Property Tax Policy Disclosure
PROPERTY TAX DISCLOSURE
The table below presents tax revenue and tax rates based on the 2018 Revised Assessment Roll:
Objectives and Policies
Council sets tax rates to maintain tax stability between property classes. Property class multiples are reviewed periodically to ensure that the burden of tax among property classes is not distorted by differing market value changes between classes. In 2017 Council embarked on a 10-year program to reduce the burden of business properties by reducing the multiple by 0.05 each year so that by 2026 the business multiple will be 2.5.
Permissive Tax Exemptions
Policy with respect to permissive tax exemptions under section 224 of the Community Charter is that exemption will be considered where the organization has demonstrated proof of community access to citizens of Langford at a nominal charge and community benefit in the previous year.
Council supports the establishment of assisted living seniors’ housing in Langford and has granted 10-year exemptions to three such developments.
Council has established a revitalization tax exemption program under section 226 of the Community Charter which grants a five-year or 10-year exemption for eligible buildings. An exemption certificate was issued for one property in 2011 for which the exemption expires in 2021.
Property Tax Distribution
| Property Class | Taxation Revenue ($'000s) | % | Net Taxable Assessed Value ($'000s) | % | $/1000 (Rate/Res. Rate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Residential | 20,282 | 66.7% | 8,586,354 | 85.00% | 2.3621 (1.00) |
| 2. Utility | 155 | 0.5% | 8,872 | 0.09% | 17.4792 (7.40) |
| 4. Heavy Industry | - | 0.0% | - | 0.00% | 7.5822 (3.21) |
| 5. Light Industry | 280 | 0.9% | 38,282 | 0.38% | 7.3224 (3.10) |
| 6. Business/Other | 9,585 | 31.4% | 1,423,909 | 14.09% | 6.7318 (2.85) |
| 7. Managed Forest | - | 0.0% | 185 | 0.00% | 2.3621 (1.00) |
| 8. Rec./Non-Profit | 127 | 0.4% | 44,527 | 0.44% | 2.8463 (1.20) |
| 9. Farm | - | 0.0% | 116 | 0.00% | 2.3621 (1.00) |
| Total | 30,429 | 10,102,245 |
Taxation Revenue / Net Taxable Assessed Value
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