As one of the very few members of the public who attended all of the budget meetings at Saanich council, I also provided suggestions on ways to create cost savings, and to improve the budgeting process. I was extremely disappointed in the results: an increase of 3.53 per cent in the mill rate for residential property, or two and one half times the current cost of living.
This would be less disappointing if it were a one-time event, but it is not. Since 2002, Saanich council has raised your property taxes by more than three times the cost of living. Utility bills have gone up substantially over the last several years as well. This is not a sustainable trend in the long term, but still no serious action has begun to review how to deal with the issue.
So, when you get your property tax bill, take a hard look at what Saanich’s portion is, take a third or half off (still leaving increases beyond the cost of living over those 15 years), and think about what you might have been able to do with that sum.
Karen Harper
Saanich