City Budget 2022

Project Update, January 25 2022: Thank you to all the community members who participated in the 2022 Budget Engagement and provided feedback through the most recent request for public comments on the final draft. Please visit the News Feed below for a response to the comments for Council from our Finance Department. 

Project Update, January 10 2022: At its January 10, 2022 regular meeting, New Westminster City Council received final public comments on the 2022-2026 Financial Plan and gave three readings to the budget bylaw. Click here to access the documents and recording from the meeting.

The 2022-2026 Draft Financial Plan has been prepared, based on a 4.4% property tax increase for 2022. Click here to watch a presentation about the Financial Plan from the December 13, 2021 Council meeting.

Project Update, October 18 2021: Survey results are now available. Click here for the full What We Heard Engagement Summary report. Click here for the verbatim survey comments. We have included a couple of the survey results charts here for quick access:

Every year, the City must adopt a five-year financial plan bylaw by May 15th as outlined by the Community Charter. The City of New Westminster is starting the process of developing the financial plan for the years 2022 to 2026, which includes the capital and operating budgets for 2022.

In developing the financial plan, the City is guided by financial sustainability principles to maintain its financial health.

Community input is one of several factors that inform the development of the City's annual budget.

Some of the other factors that guide decision-making during the budget process include the mandatory services every municipality must deliver, City Council’s strategic priorities, the City’s Seven Bold Steps to address the climate emergency, and the City of New Westminster's commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism.

There are many opportunities through the budget process for the community to participate and provide input, and we encourage you to get involved. Engagement to date has included an interactive webinar, an online survey, and workshops with Council. Still to come is an opportunity to provide comments on the draft budget when it's released in December.

Community Survey

Thank you to all who completed the survey. The survey was open September 14 through October 6, 2021. Click here to see the survey results.

Budget 101 Webinar

Have you ever wondered how the City’s finances work – where the money comes from, and how it gets spent across various services and departments? Watch the recording of the September 14th interactive webinar. These are some of the topics that were covered in this year’s webinar:

• What City services do your tax dollars support? (Note: if you’re a renter, you also contribute towards property taxes with your rent!)
• What are the financial principles that guide the City’s budget?
• How do the City’s priorities of climate action and equity impact the budget?
• How is COVID-19 continuing to impact City finances and delivery of City services?

Our Budget 101 presenters are:

• Harji Varn, Director of Finance
• Lorraine Lyle, Manager, Financial Services
• Lisa Spitale, Chief Administrative Officer