A forensic audit in the first 100 days and a public plan to pay down the debt

TAXES AND THE CITY BUDGET

Langley Strong on budget

Pillar 1, Respect for Taxpayers, released September 8, 2026, promises a full forensic audit of Township finances in the first 100 days, including the $177 million borrowed through the Township's housing society, with the findings published. The audit would be the last thing paid for from the Mayor's Contingency Fund, which the platform promises to abolish. The organization's release cited the Township's 2026 capital budget for its debt figures and the Township's five-year financial plan for a projected 22.8 per cent property tax increase in 2027; those are the organization's readings of Township documents.

The pillar promises to hold tax and fee increases to the lowest level the Township's finances allow, to set a public timeline to pay down the debt and report on it every year, to build only projects with a complete funding plan in place before work begins, to seek partnerships, grants and naming rights, to bring back a long-term financial plan with real borrowing limits and reserve targets, to create a Council finance committee that meets at least quarterly, to restore one bill for municipal and regional services, and to order an independent review of utility and water billing.

The pillar also promises an independent panel on indemnification, the Township paying legal bills for politicians, to propose a bylaw it calls fair and transparent. CTV reported on October 9, 2026 that Lundgren said $79 million had been taken from reserves to hold the 2026 tax increase near four per cent; Woodward said the Township's increases were among the lowest in Metro Vancouver. Each is the candidate's own claim.

8 PUBLISHED COMMITMENTS

What they say they will do

• A forensic audit of Township finances in the first 100 days

  Pillar 1 promises a full forensic audit of Township finances in the first 100 days, including how $177 million was borrowed through a society the Township owns, with the findings published.

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• Hold tax and fee increases to the lowest level the finances allow

  Pillar 1 promises to hold tax and fee increases to the lowest level the Township's finances allow, with a multi-year outlook. It names no rate.

  Langley Strong

• A public timeline to pay down the debt, reported every year

  Pillar 1 promises a clear, public timeline to pay down the Township's debt and a report on progress every year.

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• Abolish the Mayor's Contingency Fund

  Pillar 1 promises that the audit will be the last thing funded by the Mayor's Contingency Fund, which would then be abolished.

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• Count debt of any Township-owned body against the borrowing limit

  Pillar 1 promises that debt taken on by any body the Township owns will count against its borrowing limit and need the same approval from residents as other borrowing.

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• A complete funding plan before any project starts

  Pillar 1 promises to build only what the Township can pay for, with a complete, legal funding plan, including any borrowing and the operating cost, on the table before the vote.

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• A Council finance committee and a long-term financial plan

  Pillar 1 promises a Council Finance Committee meeting at least quarterly, a long-term financial plan with borrowing limits and reserve targets, and a budget process done in public.

  Langley Strong

• An independent review of utility and water billing

  Pillar 1 promises an independent review of utility and water billing so bills reflect the cost of service, and the return of one bill for municipal and regional services.

  Langley Strong