The Township of Langley has finalized its proposed 2015-2019 Financial Plan. The proposed plan will see an increase in user pay fees as follows:
Water 5.16%
Sewer 3.83%
Solid Waster 4.64%
If you live in a half-million dollar house in the Township, you can expect to pay an additional $52 on your property tax bill.
Langley Township has spent a considerable amount of money extending Metro Vancouver water and sewer services through Salmon River/Uplands to Aldergrove. While these projects are complete, they are impacting the Township's operating budget moving forward. For example, the East Langley Water Supply has a proposed $110,000 budget for electricity in 2015.
The biggest driver of the increase in these user pay utility fees is due to Metro Vancouver services. Metro Vancouver is replacing aging infrastructure, and increasing capacity to deal with growth in communities like Surrey and Langley. It is passing these costs onto municipalities.
Metro Vancouver charges for water services is increasing from $4.6 million in 2014 to $6.1 million in 2015. For sewer services, Metro Vancouver charges are increasing from $4.8 million in 2014 to $5.3 million in 2015.
One another budget note, transportation projects are the largest group of capital projects in the Township of Langley currently.
The Township has budget $270,000 for cycling infrastructure in 2015. This is an increase of $110,000 compared to 2014, and is due to a matching grant from the Provincial Cycling Infrastructure Partnership Program. The increased funding will be used to improve cycling infrastructure along 216th Street from 56th Avenue to 72nd Avenue.
The Township will also be spending $4 million this year to complete the construction of Labonte Avenue from 216th to Glover Road. The road will be going through the future TWU University District.
By far the largest transportation projects in the coming years will be two new interchanges. The Township is proposing to spend $4.7 million per year, for a grand total of $14.1 million, to build a new 216th Street Interchange at Highway 1.
The Township is also proposing to spend $1 million this year and $5.8 million for the two years following, for a grand total of $12.6 million, to widen the 208th Street Overpass.
This is no small change, and is one of major the drivers for tax increases in the Township of Langley.
Tomorrow, I’ll be posting more on the Township 2015-2019 Financial Plan.
2 comments:
Is there a timeframe for when 208 Street overpass would be widened, and also when 216 Street would go in.
Live in Walnut Grove, but often need to head east into the valley. Poor access to Highway 1 east is an issue, and would love to see 216 Street built sooner rather than later.
I beleive the details are still being developed as far as timeline.
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