Statement from the Mayor: Budget 2024

On Monday night, Surrey City Council voted to finalize the 2024 Budget. I am proud to be delivering a progressive, forward-thinking financial plan that considers the needs of our ever-growing population while being mindful of the financial stresses our residents face. It is unfortunate that we have had to raise taxes at all. As the City’s General Manager of Finance confirmed last night, the City’s policing operations budget would have been $188 million without the Surrey Police Service and associated costs. This would have resulted in a zero per cent tax increase for our residents. The 7 per cent tax increase is equivalent to the cost difference of $33.5 million caused by the provincially mandated police transition. As a result of the City’s court action, we now know that the cost difference will be more in the range of $75 million, as revealed in the Deloitte Report, and the additional cost will create an even greater burden to Surrey taxpayers if the police transition continues to be forced through.

I am proud that one of the largest capital projects undertaken by the City is built into Budget 2024. The new $310.6 million Newton Community Centre will be a state-of-the-art public amenity that will be delivered in its entirety and not through a phased approached as was favoured by the previous Council.

What I find deeply disconcerting is how some members of Council have knowingly spread false information that this vital community project has been cancelled. It is also unfortunate that opposition Councillors chose not to support the $715.9M Capital Program in this year’s budget, which includes funding for the new Newton Community Centre and many more much-needed community amenities and road improvement projects our growing city requires.