Coquitlam's 2027 budget heads into new council's first term with a 7% annual tax rise in the plan

Coquitlam's new mayor and council will begin their first budget process facing a city staff forecast of a 7% annual increase in property taxes and utility fees for each year from 2027 to 2030, according to Freshet News, citing a City staff report published November 5, 2026.

The forecast lands as Mayor Craig Hodge and eight newly elected councillors prepare to be sworn in on November 9. The first agenda after the swearing-in is the 2027 budget.

What the forecast says

A City of Coquitlam staff report projects a 7% annual rise in property and utility taxes for each year between 2027 and 2030, Freshet News reported on November 5. That rate is more than double the 3.37% increase the previous council approved for 2026.

The 2026 increase added $137 to the average Coquitlam household bill, according to the City's own 2026 Budget Highlights document. The average household now pays $6,323 per year in combined property taxes and utility fees: $4,502 to the City of Coquitlam, $1,301 to the Province of BC for education, $400 to TransLink for regional transit, and $120 to Metro Vancouver Regional District and other regional bodies.

The 7% forecast is a staff planning figure in the multi-year financial plan. New council will vote on the actual 2027 budget in spring 2027, after reviewing staff recommendations, hearing from the public and setting its own priorities.

The City's total operating revenue in 2026 is $502 million, according to the Budget Highlights. Property taxes make up 46% of that, or $232 million. Utility fees for water, sewer, drainage and solid waste account for $96 million combined ($41 million water rates, $55 million sewer and drainage rates, $10 million solid waste). Fees and service charges bring in $65 million (13%), and grants and other sources add $99 million (20%). A further $23 million comes from reserve transfers.

Where the money goes now

The City's Budget 2027 document breaks down how the average household's $4,502 City portion is spent. Water, sewer and drainage services take the largest share at $1,325. Police services cost each household $737 on average, fire and rescue $550, recreation and cultural services $490, capital construction $480, solid waste $379, parks $256, roads and transportation $238, and planning and development $47.

The City's $502 million operating budget is driven above all by labour. The 2026 Budget Highlights show labour costs at $175 million, or 35% of total operating expenditures. Transfers to reserves follow at $141 million (28%), insurance and other costs at $72 million (15%), and contracted services at $65 million (13%).

The RCMP contract alone added $3,050,000 to the 2026 budget, equal to 1.40 percentage points of the 3.37% tax increase that year.

What the new council is walking into

The 2026-2030 Five Year Financial Plan, approved by the previous council on December 8, 2025, sets out $918 million in capital spending over five years. That includes $250 million for facilities, $194 million for parks, trails and sports fields, and $170 million for transportation. In 2026 alone, $378 million in capital spending is planned.

The City's total planned expenditures for 2026, including operating, capital and collections on behalf of other governments, come to $1,062 million, according to the Budget Highlights.

For 2027, because a new council has just been elected, the City has moved the financial plan adoption to spring instead of December, according to Freshet News. This gives the nine new members time to review the plan before they vote on it.

Councillor Matt Djonlic campaigned on a promise to keep property taxes below the Metro Vancouver average, telling the Dispatch that managing property tax increases while still investing in services should be council's top priority next term. Mayor Hodge made a promise to keep City spending under control and property taxes as low as possible. The staff's 7% forecast is the starting point for a process those promises will be tested against.

The promise tracker at /bc/coquitlam-2026/tracker will record each council vote on the budget as it moves through the Finance Standing Committee and the full council.

Why costs are going up

The City's 2026 Budget Highlights point to several pressures that show no sign of easing: labour agreements, non-labour inflation, rising RCMP contract costs and infrastructure maintenance. The document describes a period of "increasing economic uncertainty and external pressures" and says the City faces "growing regional charges and evolving provincial requirements."

Coquitlam is also growing. More residents mean more demand for roads, parks, water and sewer systems, transit connections and community facilities, all of which require both capital investment and ongoing operating spending.

The Finance Standing Committee meets November 12 at 10:00 am. Regular Council meets November 16. Those are the first meetings where budget questions can be raised publicly.

What residents can do now

The City is asking for public input on the 2027 budget through an online survey open until November 22, 2026 at LetsTalkCoquitlam.ca/budget. The survey asks residents how to balance service levels against the taxes and fees they are willing to pay.

This is the main public input channel before council and staff build the 2027 budget. Comments submitted by November 22 go to council alongside staff analysis and the results of the City's annual Ipsos satisfaction survey. For more on the budget process, see the City's financial planning page at coquitlam.ca/FinancialPlan.

An earlier piece on voche.me covered the opening of the budget survey on November 4.