Coquitlam asks residents how to balance its 2027 budget

Coquitlam's new City Council is building its first budget, and the City is asking residents to help set its direction. An online survey opened November 2, 2026 and closes November 22 at LetsTalkCoquitlam.ca/budget.

The survey covers the 2027 budget, which Council will approve before the end of the year. Mayor Craig Hodge and the eight councillors elected on October 17 will make the final decisions, but the City says public feedback shapes the choices.

What the City is asking

The survey asks one main question: how should Coquitlam balance funding and service levels?

Property taxes and utility fees pay for most City services, according to the City's November 2 announcement. That means every dollar increase in service costs either raises taxes and fees or cuts something else. The survey asks residents where they draw that line.

The City says it wants to "strike the right balance between the levels of service you expect and the taxes and fees you are willing to pay."

Residents can find the survey at LetsTalkCoquitlam.ca/budget. It is the main public input channel before the budget is set.

Why costs are rising

The City's announcement calls this "not a business-as-usual budget." It lists several reasons.

Labour costs are up. Construction materials cost more. Utilities, insurance and the cost of maintaining and replacing infrastructure have all risen. The City says factors outside its control, including market conditions and uncertainty around tariffs, make costs harder to predict.

The City also says the Province has shifted responsibilities to municipalities without the money to cover them. The November 2 announcement does not name specific programs or amounts.

Population growth adds to the pressure. As more people move to Coquitlam, the City says it must build and maintain more infrastructure: roads, water and sewer systems, community centres and parks. That infrastructure also wears out over time and needs to be replaced.

The City's announcement says its strong financial foundation gives it some ability to manage these pressures, but adds that "the current economic environment demands difficult choices and a deliberate focus on affordability."

What Council and staff are aiming for

The City says its priority in the 2027 budget is to maintain essential services, assets and infrastructure while keeping affordability in mind.

Council members Matt Djonlic, Robert Mazzarolo, Steve Kim, Teri Towner, Matthew Sebastiani, Harvey Su, Rosalinda Thorleifson and Benjamin Perry were all elected on October 17. This is the first budget all of them will vote on together as a new Council.

The City's announcement says the budget is developed over several months. It is guided by Council-approved financial policies, principles and plans, with community feedback as one of the inputs alongside those plans.

The budget covers all City services: parks and recreation, roads and water and sewer infrastructure, public safety, libraries and community centres. When the City raises or cuts service levels in any of those areas, the change shows up in property taxes or utility fees for every Coquitlam household.

What is in the current capital plan

Residents who want to see where the City is planning to spend on major projects can look at Coquitlam's OpenBook tool at coquitlam.openbook.questica.com. It shows the approved capital budgets for 2026 to 2030, with details on 16 major capital projects for 2026: each project's budget, a map of where the work is, and background information on what the project does.

The same tool shows the 2026 operating budget broken down by department and the 2025 Annual Report with an overview of City expenses and revenues for last year. It is designed to let residents explore City spending through charts, maps and graphs without reading a full budget document.

The City's broader financial approach, including its financial policies and principles, is at coquitlam.ca/FinancialPlan.

What the survey covers

The annual budget survey is a chance to tell the City which services matter most and how much residents are willing to pay for them. The City says the survey guides decisions about service levels across everything the City operates.

The City's announcement describes the survey as a core part of how Council hears from the public: "Public participation plays a key role in shaping the City's budget to reflect community priorities while addressing today's economic challenges."

Residents do not set a tax rate in the survey. They give the City a sense of what trade-offs they can accept. That information then goes into the months-long budget development process alongside staff analysis and Council's own financial policies.

What comes next and how to take part

The survey is open until November 22, 2026, at LetsTalkCoquitlam.ca/budget. It takes a few minutes and does not require an account.

After November 22, Council and staff will use the results along with their financial analysis to build the 2027 budget. Council will approve it in a public meeting before the end of the year.

The promise tracker at /bc/coquitlam-2026/tracker records what each elected person said they would do on issues like taxes and services. As the budget process moves forward and Council votes on it, the tracker will show how those votes line up with the promises each person made.