All cities face difficult choices at budget time, but here in Port Coquitlam we are very aware that ultimately, it’s our taxpayers who pay the bills. With this in mind, we’re proposing a responsible budget for 2024 that invests in priority services and needs, while doing whatever is possible to reduce the burden on residents during this challenging financial landscape.

At a time when the City is facing a variety of financial impacts beyond our control, there was much consideration and hard work by both staff and Council to achieve a proposed tax increase that is well below average in Metro Vancouver.

As always, we put every budget request under the microscope, sought out creative funding options, and maintained our focus on getting the basics right, so that we can continue delivering the services our community relies on now and in the future.

It’s now your turn to have your say. Please review our 2024 budget details here and online, and then fill out the printed or online survey by Jan. 31. Residents who complete the survey will once again have a chance to win a prize that supports a local business of their choice.

From left to right: Cllr. Glenn Pollock, Cllr. Dean Washington, Cllr. Nancy McCurrach, Mayor Brad West, Cllr. Paige Petriw, Cllr. Steve Darling and Cllr. Darrell Penner.

Average home (all types): +5.58% municipal property taxes in 2024.

• Municipal property taxes and levies for the average Port Coquitlam home (assessed at $1,078,237) are proposed to increase in 2024 by 5.58% – one of the lowest proposed increases in the region. A similar increase is proposed for business taxes.
• Utility increases are primarily due to a move to a new data-driven and equitable levy structure based on housing type and service level. The impact is being phased in over five years.
• These figures are based on 2023 property assessment values and do not include the regional and provincial taxes that also appear on the annual property tax bill. See article on the back about the potential impact of a property’s assessed value.

Did you know you can pay your tax and utility bills in easy monthly installments through the City’s Prepayment Plan? Learn more and sign up portcoquitlam.ca/prepayment.

Port Coquitlam has established a track record of lower-than-average property taxes and utilities when compared to other municipalities in Metro Vancouver and is on track to continue that trend in 2024 with one of the lowest proposed tax increases in the region.

A property’s assessed value determines its share of taxes. The assessments provided by BC Assessment each January indicate how much Port Coquitlam property assessments increased or decreased from the prior year.

Properties whose value has increased or decreased more than other typical properties of the same type will experience a tax rate that differs from the average. For more details, see the assessment mailed to you in January.