Langley City’s 2025 Annual Report Out

Local governments deliver services every day that people rely on, from running water and sewer services to parks and streets. When an emergency occurs, local police and fire services are on hand. I created an infographic many years ago that shows the various public services and the level of government that delivers them.

The City completed the Fraser Highway Oneway Renewal Project last year.

One of the things I’ve always found interesting is that voter turnout and overall levels of political engagement are lower for local government than for provincial or federal governments, considering the significant impact local government has on people’s day-to-day lives. Though with some exceptions, local government work tends to be “boring”. Approving the upgrade of a 450mm sewer pipe to 900mm, while critical, isn’t headline news.

Local governments do reflect the communities they serve. For example, some communities might focus more on recreation services while others focus on parks and trails. Some communities have libraries open 7 days a week; others do not. Some communities may focus on creating a walkable community, while others focus on industrial development.

In BC, all municipalities are required to produce an annual report. This report outlines what a municipality accomplished in the reporting year and its priorities for the upcoming year. In Langley City, our report reviews these by department. It can be an easy way to learn about your municipal government.

For example, last year the City completed a comprehensive inventory of all trees in our community and adopted a new tree protection bylaw; this year, the City is planning to replace its Operations Centre.

The annual report also included information on permissive tax exemptions granted, community grants awarded, and the annual financial statements.

If you get a chance, please flip through Langley City’s 2025 Annual Report, especially the “Department Overviews” section.

June 29 Council Notes: Proposed Increase to RCMP Officers. Pleasantdale Creek. Other Housekeeping Matters

Langley City Council addressed several matters at its June 29th meeting. I posted about some of the items over the last week, and wanted to follow up with the remaining items.

Because the federal budgeting cycle for the RCMP differs from the local government budget cycle, we need to signal to the federal government the maximum number of RCMP members (officers) we are considering hiring per year. The federal government pays 10% of RCMP member costs. In discussions with the Officer in Charge of the Langley RCMP Detachment, City staff recommended that Council consider hiring two new members in 2027. As such, Council approved a letter to the federal government known as an “approval in principle”. Council will have the option to approve or deny funding for these two new positions as part of the 2027 budget process, which will start this fall.

If Council moves forward with two new members, contracted policing costs would rise from $16.5 million this year to $16.8 million in 2027 for our City.

Council also adopted changes to the Election and Assent Voting Procedure and City of Langley Sign Bylaw in preparation for this fall’s local government election. You can read more about this in a previous post.

Council approved the City’s Manager of Communications and Public Engagement attending the Municipal Communications Conference in Toronto, Ontario, which runs from November 30th to December 2nd.

Finally, Council received a presentation from the Nicomekl Enhancement Society about proposed enhancements they would like to see to improve salmon habitat in Pleasantdale Creek. This comprehensive presentation was forwarded to Council’s Environmental Sustainability Committee for consideration.

Upgrading Storm Sewer Near Linwood Park

Storm sewers are what route runoff from buildings, streets, and parks into watercourses. Newer storm sewers will have passive systems that reduce suspended sediment and oils, though whatever goes into a storm drain eventually ends up in a river.

The current storm sewer around Linwood Park is undersized for today’s storm events and needs upgrading. During some storm events, the current system cannot handle the flows.

The following map shows the proposed upgrade.

Map of Storm Sewer Improvement Project around Linwood Park. Select the map to enlarge.

Last Monday, Council approved issuing a tender to Blackline Site Works Ltd. for $789,329.13 for this project, and ISL Engineering and Land Services Ltd. for $49,768.00 to provide construction management services for the project. Council also approved an $85,000.00 contingency, as we are an old community, and even with the best planning, surprises can arise when replacing underground infrastructure.

This project is scheduled to start this summer and finish up in the fall. This project was approved in the 2025 Langley City budget.

The costs do not include GST.

2025 Council Remuneration & Expenses and Other Annual Disclosures

Every year, all public sector organizations need to produce their Statement of Financial Information. This reporting includes year-end financial statements, the total compensation of elected (or appointed) representatives, the names, salaries, and expenses of employees who earn over $75,000 per year, and the names and amounts of supplies with an annual value over $25,000.

Langley City procured $83.3 million in goods and services in 2025. The City had $18.0 million in employee salaries and expenses in 2025. Total compensation for Langley City Council was $648,915 in 2025, as shown in the following table.

Elected Official	Remuneration	Expenses	Benefits	Total
Pachal, Nathan J.	$155,841	$5,737	$36	$161,614
Albrecht, Paul E.	$75,063	$7,423	$5,154	$87,640
James, Teri L.	$70,388	$53	$5,141	$75,582
Mack, Delaney	$75,323	$4,813	$4,577	$84,713
Solyom, Michael	$70,128	$517	$36	$70,681
Wallace, Rosemary H.M.	$72,725	$7,749	$5,154	$85,628
White, Leith	$72,725	$5,165	$5,154	$83,044

When looking at Council compensation, it is important to note that we rotate the Deputy Mayor role among Councillors on a two-month cycle. You will notice slight discrepancies in the remuneration of some Council members because of when their Deputy Mayor service falls. Some members of the Council may choose not to receive health or dental benefits because they are covered under a family plan with their spouse or another employer.

Expenses will also vary for Council members. Council members can attend the Lower Mainland Local Government Association AGM and Convention, the Union of BC Municipalities Convention, and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Convention. Not all members of Council attend all conferences. Councillors Albrecht, Wallace, White, and I also went to Ottawa last fall on an advocacy mission to the federal government. You can learn more about this mission in a previous post.