Update on the 2025 Budget Process
Overview
The City of Mission is gathering community feedback on the 2025 Budget and 2025-2029 Financial Plan. Each year the City’s Financial Plan is updated to ensure it continues to align with community priorities as Mission moves into the future.
This past summer, community members shared their thoughts on service levels and their quality of life in the Annual Citizen Satisfaction Survey. This feedback was reported back to Council earlier in the month to inform the proposed operating budget for the current year.
With the continued impacts of rising inflation, the 2025 Budget is focused on maintaining existing day-to-day service levels while ensuring the City of Mission keeps up with the needs of a growing community.
Affordability, high-quality service delivery, and responsible management of resources and reserves were key priorities for the City in formulating the budget for Council and public review.
In this budget, growth is paying for growth. Increased tax revenue from community growth has been used to fund service increases so the City is keeping up with demand.
General Operating Fund Key Drivers
Notable budget changes are attributed to the following:
- 3.4% for wages, salary, & benefits
- 2.68% for RCMP contract costs and police services
- 1.13% BC Transit contract
- 0.78% for all other inflationary increases and prior years’ decisions
- 0.51% for the change to the Secondary Dwelling Units program
- 0.50% for all other contractual obligations
- 0.42% operating costs associated with capital projects
- 0.39% for transit expansion
- 0.25% for fee-for-service grants
- 0.23% for fleet maintenance
- 0.00% for net growth-related increases
- 0.02% for expansionary services proposed
- 2.76% savings due to service level and other budget reductions
This brings the total potential property tax increase to 7.53% to maintain existing services. Net growth-related increases added 0% and recommended expansionary services add an additional 0.02%, bringing the total proposed general operating increase to 7.55%.
Ways to Give Feedback
Feedback was accepted from Oct. 23 to Nov. 12, 2024, and two information sessions were held on Nov. 6.