Wednesday March 26, 2025 | LANGFORD, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The City of Langford has approved their municipal budget for 2025 with a tax increase of 9.77%.
The approval came at their March 17 council meeting after several weeks of public input and many hours of deliberation by council.
The approved budget increase includes nine firefighters, four RCMP Officers, costs transferred to the City from the Province for E-Comm (911 dispatch services for emergency services), City-related services, inflation, and significant infrastructure projects including phase one of the Latoria Road sidewalk and bike lane project.
All City staff receive a cost of living boost to their salaries each year, which adds to the operational costs of running the city.
While the budget was approved for 2025, City of Langford Council asked staff to bring back further information related to the projected tax increases in 2026 to 2029 of the Five-Year Financial Plan to a Committee of the Whole meeting to be held on April 8.
Municipalities also collect taxes that are further remitted to external bodies like the Capital Regional District, the Greater Victoria Public Library, and Westshore Parks and Recreation.
Diligent work:
“Council worked diligently to reduce the 2025 budget from 14.51% to 9.77%,” said Langford Mayor Scott Goodmanson in the days following the budget approval.
“Council believes this budget strikes a balance between continuing to invest in the community, prioritizing public safety, and maintaining service levels while acknowledging the uncertainty of current financial conditions and the need to be prudent.”
The public safety issue was seen by some members of the public though a lens of how many more West Shore RCMP officers will be paid for by Langford. Langford shares the detachment with Colwood, View Royal, Metchosin, Highlands and two First Nations. Safety can also be improved by attention to bylaw enforcement in parks, good street lighting, and other passive measures that deter undesirable use of public spaces.
Timeline:
The draft Financial Plan was first presented to Mayor and Council at the Committee of the Whole meeting on February 20, which included a proposed tax increase of 14.51% for the year 2025.
During an additional Committee of the Whole meeting on March 4, Mayor and Council took the opportunity to reflect on public input and recommended a reduced budget and tax increase of 9.77% for 2025.
Council will consider the first three readings of the Financial Plan Bylaw and the 2025 Tax Rates Bylaw at their Regular Council Meeting on on Tuesday April 22, then consider adoption of those bylaws during their May 5 Regular Council Meeting.
Inflation and tariffs:
Inflation and other pressures on the cost of living (such as direct or indirect impacts from tariffs) will be impacting residents and small businesses as well as operational costs of the City.
Council in recent weeks issued a statement that they will procure goods and services from Canadian sources, which in some cases may cost more.
Repeated messaging by various councillors about how challenging the economic situation could be in the next year or two has set an underlying tone of budgetary caution for the year that unfolds.
Each year some residents and businesses may take longer to pay their property taxes (despite the usual interest due on late tax payments) due to unforeseen circumstances. In 2025 that could be exacerbated by economic uncertainties.
Langford’s economic ecosystem has a significant number of rental investment properties. Property tax increases get passed onto renters.
===== RELATED:
- Langford funding for police services within 2025 budget constraints (March 26, 2025)
- Ten south Vancouver Island municipalities coming to terms with 911 tax increase (February 7, 2025)
- NEWS SECTIONS: LANGFORD