Where every party stands on budget
2 of the 2 parties on the October 17 ballot have published something on taxes and the city budget. Here they are side by side, each with its source.
BEFORE YOU COMPARE
Who actually decides this
Under the Community Charter a municipality adopts a five-year financial plan by bylaw each year (section 165), and Council then sets the year’s property tax rates by bylaw before May 15 (section 197).
Read the commitments below against that. Where a party proposes something the city cannot do on its own, the commitment carries a line naming who holds the power. That is not a criticism of the promise. A council can lobby, fund and argue, and saying so plainly is more useful than pretending the limit does not exist.
WHAT THE COMPARISON SHOWS
Reading this ballot on budget
2 of the 2 parties have published something here, and between them they have made 11 separate commitments. Langley Strong has published the most, with 8.
Not one of these commitments carries a dollar figure, a count or a percentage. They set a direction, which means there is nothing here to check against a budget later.
SIDE BY SIDE
Every published position on budget
| Party | Published position | Commitments |
|---|---|---|
| Langley Strong | Langley Strong's first pillar promises a full forensic audit of Township finances in its first 100 days, with the findings published, tax and fee increases held to the lowest level the finances allow, a public timeline to pay down the debt with yearly reports, an end to the Mayor's Contingency Fund, a rule that debt taken on by any body the Township owns counts against its borrowing limit, a Council finance committee, and a long-term financial plan with borrowing limits and reserve targets. | 8 |
| Progress for Langley | Progress for Langley's plan promised more cost savings in administration and maintenance, lower utility costs, the lowest property taxes in the region, and a common sense financial plan with a path to reduce debt while growth pays for growth. Its accomplishments page claims $13 million in operating savings and paying off capital debt funded by property taxes. CBC reported the Township had authorized $602 million in debt; Woodward said growth revenues would pay it down. | 3 |
LANGLEY STRONG
A forensic audit in the first 100 days and a public plan to pay down the debt
Langley Strong's first pillar promises a full forensic audit of Township finances in its first 100 days, with the findings published, tax and fee increases held to the lowest level the finances allow, a public timeline to pay down the debt with yearly reports, an end to the Mayor's Contingency Fund, a rule that debt taken on by any body the Township owns counts against its borrowing limit, a Council finance committee, and a long-term financial plan with borrowing limits and reserve targets.
- A forensic audit of Township finances in the first 100 days
- Hold tax and fee increases to the lowest level the finances allow
- A public timeline to pay down the debt, reported every year
- Abolish the Mayor's Contingency Fund
PROGRESS FOR LANGLEY
The lowest property taxes in the region and a debt reduction path paid by growth
Progress for Langley's plan promised more cost savings in administration and maintenance, lower utility costs, the lowest property taxes in the region, and a common sense financial plan with a path to reduce debt while growth pays for growth. Its accomplishments page claims $13 million in operating savings and paying off capital debt funded by property taxes. CBC reported the Township had authorized $602 million in debt; Woodward said growth revenues would pay it down.
- The lowest property taxes in the region
- A common sense financial plan with a debt reduction path
- More finished roads, parks and facilities