CITY OF LANGFORD BYLAW NO. 2130: A BYLAW TO ADOPT A FINANCIAL PLAN FOR 2023 – 2027

BYLAW NO. 2130: A BYLAW TO ADOPT A FINANCIAL PLAN FOR 2023 – 2027

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:

1. Schedule “A” attached hereto and forming part of this bylaw comprises the City of Langford Consolidated Five Year Financial Plan for 2023 – 2027.
2. Schedule “B” attached hereto and forming part of this bylaw comprises the City of Langford Revenue and Property Tax Policy Disclosure.
3. This bylaw may be cited for all purposes as “City of Langford 2023-2027 Financial Plan Bylaw No. 2130, 2023”.

READ A FIRST TIME this 8th day of May, 2023.

READ A SECOND TIME this 8th day of May, 2023.

READ A THIRD TIME this 8th day of May, 2023.

ADOPTED this day of May, 2023.

MAYOR

(Certified Correct)

CORPORATE OFFICER

Other Sources

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.

Schedule “B” Continued

Revenue and Property Tax Disclosure

PROPERTY TAX DISCLOSURE

Property Tax Revenue Distribution

The table below presents tax revenue and tax rates based on the 2023 Revised Assessment Roll:

(Table not included in the provided text.)

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.

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 an exemption for eligible buildings for up to 10 years. An exemption certificate was issued for one property in 2021 for which the exemption expires in 2028.