First Look at Proposed Service Enhancements in Langley City’s 2026 Budget

Earlier this month, I posted about Langley City’s proposed 2026 budget and how maintaining the status quo level of service will require a 3.58% property tax increase, resulting in a $49 property tax increase for the average strata property or $116 for the average detached home.

Yesterday, I posted about the proposed one-time capital projects being considered in the 2026 budget. Langley City Council also has the opportunity to make additional investments into services or staff positions as part of the budget process. I wanted to highlight some of the proposed additions for consideration.

• Increase contributions to capital projects reserves by 1% - $447,780
• Hire two additional firefighters - $400,000
• Hire two additional RCMP members - $320,000
• Hire an Assistant Fire Chief to ensure 7-day-a-week coverage - $237,000
• Hire a Procurement Manager to streamline and ensure compliance during purchasing and tenders - $185,000
• Hire an IT project manager due to the increasing number and complexity of projects - $150,600
• Hire a Facilities Supervisor to help ensure City buildings are maintained and in a state of good repair - $143,000
• Hire a new communication staff member to enhance engagement and timely reply to citizens - $129,750
• Hire a new HR staff member to support our growing staffing and increased complexity in labour law - $112,812
• Hire a staff member to address the growing number of Freedom of Information requests and the increasing complexity of privacy laws - $110,000
• Hire an Engineer clerk to support the Engineering department $90,000
• Extended the Al Anderson Pool season to start on April 13th - $68,900
• Hire a Permits and Licensing clerk to support the increasing demand for permits and licensing applications as our community grows - $60,000

Council will discuss and debate what should be included in the 2026 budget and financial plan starting at the November 17th meeting. It is very rare that Council has added all the proposed additions. There will also be opportunities, in-person and online, for community members to provide feedback. I’ll post about this when the time comes.