Whistler property taxes are going up by 8.18 per cent in 2024.
That number was voted on and supported by the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) council at the Dec. 19 meeting, following an extensive staff presentation.
Some other numbers from the 2024 budget: Sewer rates will increase by seven per cent; solid waste rates by five per cent; and water rates by four per cent.
The increases are the same as those presented at the mid-budget engagement process in November.
The 2024 budget will therefore mark the second year in a row in which taxes have increased by more than 8 per cent. In 2023, property taxes went up by 8.4 per cent.
The RMOW’s chief financial officer, Carlee Price, provided a breakdown of all the numbers that led to the 8.18-per-cent increase, noting general non-tax revenue (drawn from sources other than the tax base) is contributing almost $6 million in funds that don’t have to come from ratepayers as a result.
Even with the $6 million, the RMOW still requires an additional $3,887,928 for 2024, with some of the line items soaking up funds noted to be general payroll and benefits (requiring an additional $2.6 million); transit ($400k); fleet and equipment replacement (just shy of $1 million extra); and reserve contributions ($1.8 million).
How the change in property tax affects residents depends on the value of their property: Going by the RMOW numbers, the owner of a condo valued at $1 million in 2024 would pay $1,368.40 in property tax that year—an increase of $103.48 over what they would have owed in 2023.
Likewise, the owner of a single-family home valued at $4 million would pay $5,473.60 in municipal tax in 2024—an increase of $413.93 over what they would have paid in 2023.
This year's budget includes a $117 million annual operating budget for 2024 and $45.5 million in planned municipal projects.
Changes in staffing
According to a staff report to council, service delivery is expected “to look very similar to 2023” given the community’s preference for maintaining service levels, besides two major changes in staffing flagged by staff—though one was struck during discussion.
The change that got struck from the 2024 budget and pushed to a later council meeting did not appear at the budget open house in November, and was to do with the Whistler Fire Rescue Service (WFRS), with the report proposing the RMOW add 4.3 new full-time equivalent (FTE) roles assigned to Whistler Fire Hall No. 3 at Spring Creek beginning in the second quarter of 2024.
“This change is proposed as a first phase of a multi-year process that will lead to 24-hour-per day staffing at this facility by 2026,” reads the report.
“The 2024 budget includes just over $600,000 in addition to annual WFRS costs. These annual costs will increase again in each of 2025 and 2026 when full implementation of the staffing plan is proposed to be in place, along with the associated costs.”
As noted, this change wasn’t put before the public at the November open house, leading Councillor Jeff Murl to make an amendment to remove it from the budget and push it into 2024 as a staff report that could be decided on then, while diverting the funds required (a little over $600k for 2024) into reserves (and within reach of a change of heart by council down the line).
“Given this change came in fairly late, in order to be comfortable with the decision I need to be informed with the data… [I have] not had the opportunity, neither has the public,” said Murl.
Murl’s amendment was supported by the majority of council, with only Coun. Arthur De Jong opposed, while Coun. Jen Ford had a conflict of interest and was not present for the discussion.
A change from the November open house that did make it in was to the building department, which staff noted has seen “a sharp increase in the number of permit applications as well as the complexity of the associated approvals work in recent years.”
As a result, the changes proposed are the addition of 5.5 new full-time equivalent (FTE) roles in the building department to help share the workload. However, the report also said there are proposed adjustments in fees charged to those that utilize the building department’s services.
“For that reason, there is no net additional cost to ratepayers to implement these proposed staffing changes,” reads the report. “Shorter permit wait times and an improved level of service to applicants is expected to result.”
The thinking behind the budget
In analysis of budget considerations, the staff report talks about staff’s continued search for additional non-tax revenue—that is, revenues not drawn directly from ratepayers just doing their thing.
Besides the booming building department, which could draw on funds from building applications, the report highlights parking revenues as a growing source of cash for the municipality due to increasing fees and more visitors. Parking being a cash cow is no doubt helped along by year-long day parking fees introduced earlier this year in Day Lots 4 and 5.
According to the report, the RMOW is intentionally using parking as a way to change behaviour, while tempering the need for general taxes.
“Continuing to focus on pricing parking appropriately moves the RMOW towards its stated climate objectives by encouraging a shift away from private transportation to lower greenhouse gas emitting alternatives,” reads the report.
“This approach also helps to assign items such as rising snow-clearing costs in public lots to the users of those services and not to general ratepayers. Finally, it also provides an important tool to ensure that visitors to the community contribute a share to the municipality’s operating costs.”
Day Lot parking revenues to be directed to transit initiatives are anticipated to reach $1.2 million in 2024, with that number expected to grow to more than $2 million by 2028 should past results inform future returns. The funds are often funnelled into transit initiatives.
Another non-tax revenue (at least on residents) is the hotel tax (MRDT), which is collected by the province and applied to overnight stays in communities across B.C.
Whistler, as a resort municipality, is a community that generates a lot of revenue, and receives millions back.
Other non-tax revenues are transit fees, price increases at Meadow Park Sport Centre, and the provincial Growing Communities Fund.
Inflation was singled out as a major force on the municipality’s overall operations, driving up costs across the board, with particular note that it is impacting the cost of projects in the resort (of which the RMOW has well over a hundred active at any given time).
Asset replacement is also part of that equation, with the long-term forecast for maintenance driving up at the same time as immediate project cost, which, according to the staff report, requires the RMOW to increase its reserve contributions in anticipation.
Much of the staff report analysis went towards discussing reserve contributions, which meshed with inflation, asset renewal and community expectations.
On community expectations, the report noted the RMOW “has heard this year from ratepayers who would prefer that taxes not rise at all or rise by a smaller amount. Given the reality of higher quoted costs for services and other committed arrangements (wages), such an outcome can only be achieved by reducing service levels, or reserve contributions relative to the prior year,” reads the report.
“This would mean changing (reducing) the municipal services available within the community in order to satisfy those in search of a smaller tax bill. All of the same services that were delivered to the community in 2023 are also planned to be delivered in 2024, plus the additional work as noted above. There were no service level cuts identified that staff believed would be accepted by the community. This may change in future years.”
Changes on the fly
Besides the previously mentioned striking of the proposed WFRS funding to the tune of $600,000, councillors also dwelled on four optional projects which were presented: A heritage strategy which would cost $55k over three years; additional weeks in the planting season for staff to beautify the community as a result of longer spring and fall seasons, which would cost $30k in 2024; funding support for the Pemberton commuter service to the tune of $50k for 2024; and $50k in new funding for the Whistler Institute.
Discussions hinged on a motion by Coun. Jessie Morden to strike the heritage strategy and planting season costs and provide funding for both the Pemberton commuter and Whistler Institute, and ended up with all four items being voted on on a case-by-case basis.
The heritage strategy was excluded from the budget with no councillors stepping up to support it. The $55k over three years was to come from MRDT, and those funds will now flow into employee housing.
The request for $30k to extend the planting season was also excluded from the budget, with only Coun. De Jong defending it, noting it is a reasonable request, and as a tourism community the beauty of the surrounding environment is of importance. His thoughts made no difference, with all other councillors pouring weed-killer on the idea. Those funds will go back into the general capital reserve.
The Pemberton commuter also got the support of the majority of council, with only Coun. Ralph Forsyth speaking against, saying given it is an initiative of another community, it does not make sense for Whistler ratepayers to put $50k towards it.
Mayor Jack Crompton defended it, saying while it is a Pemberton project, many of those employed locally reside in Pemberton, and it is a vital bridge project on the journey towards establishing regional transit.
Finally, the Whistler Institute received unanimous support to receive $50k. Those funds, and the funds for the Pemberton commuter, will come from the general capital reserve and have no impact on the budget increases.
Final thoughts and next steps
The budget as presented (with the minor changes implemented above) was supported unanimously by council after well over an hour of discussion, and questions across myriad topics to the roster of staff on hand at the Dec. 19 meeting.
Questions ranged from enquiring about changes to the cost of RCMP services (which will jump from a 70-per-cent cost share falling to the RMOW to 90-per-cent when the community grows larger than 15,000 residents, expected to occur in coming years), to the allocation of MRDT funds in employee housing, to payroll and inflation pressures, water metering and more.
Crompton was impressed by the process as a whole, and commended staff on seeking community input earlier to guide decision-making and inform the finished product.
“I am convinced our budget process is getting better each year,” he said in closing remarks.
With the budget guidelines endorsed by council, staff will now craft the five-year financial bylaw which will come before council in early January 2024 for adoption.
The complete budget staff report is available at whistler.ca/budget.
