The City of Langford faces a significant budget increase due to the province and federal governments withdrawing funding for 911 dispatch services. This move will cost Langford an estimated $1.5 million this year, leading to a two percent property tax increase. Langford Mayor Stew Goodmanson criticized the lack of consultation and the burden placed on a select few municipalities. He argues for a more equitable distribution of costs across the province.
The alarm bells are ringing with the expected budget increase in the City of Langford, partly due to the provincial and federal governments pulling funding for 911 dispatch services.“The province said the ‘we’re going to look at it.’ Then weeks later we got a note saying nope, this is at your cost, and this is what you’re gonna have to pay,” he said.
“This is basically a $2 million hit coming to us over one year, and we have no any say in that cost, unless we don’t want 911,” Goodmanson said in Langford’s council meeting Monday, Jan. 20., saying the file had been “poorly handled”, imposed upon them “without any consultation, calling the downloading of costs onto them, “untenable”.This year, Langford is looking at a $1.5 million price tag to cover the cost of 911 dispatch, equating to a two per cent increase in Langford property taxes alone.
“Property taxes are some of the most regressive forms of taxation that we have, so to push this from income tax – that’s a lot more progressive – down onto cities, down onto property taxes, this ends up hurting more people than it helps,” he said. “We should all equally share it out throughout the province, and not just download it on to a relative few,” said Goodmanson.The costs are connected to E-Comm. It’s the only dispatch service available on the South Island.
BUDGET TAXES 911 DISPATCH FUNDING
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