Mission —After two days of deliberations at the end of November 2024, City Council worked together to lower the initial 10.53% property tax increase down to 6.65%. While more work is being done to further lower this number, the tax increase will not go higher than 6.65% for 2025.
“Council understands that affordability and public safety are both front-of-mind for Mission residents so we are working hard to find a balance between the two,” said Mayor Paul Horn. “We are taking community feedback seriously and have extended our usual timeline to further explore opportunities for efficiency. Our aim will be to reduce the proposed increase even further, and we have asked our staff team to look at further options.”
Council will next debate the budget on Jan. 20 during Regular Council. The agenda will be posted on mission.ca/webcast later next week.
2025 Budget Process So Far
City Council started budget deliberations in the summer with a proposed tax increase of approximately 10%. This was primarily driven by rising costs in service delivery, infrastructure maintenance needs, staffing contracts, and commitments to long-term projects.
As part of this budgeting process, the City engaged the community with a Citizen Satisfaction Survey in the summer to hear how residents feel about the services they receive for the money they pay. A budget survey and information sessions took place in early November to gather more feedback and to provide details on the proposed budget.
Throughout the November budget meetings, Council took part in a comprehensive review of all departmental budgets. This included identifying areas for efficiency improvements, cost-cutting measures, and prioritizing critical services and functions.
