The Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District board has adopted its 2025 budget with an estimated seven percent tax increase.
Chief Financial Officer Teri Fong presented the draft financial plan to the board on Wednesday, March 26 for final adoption. She described the plan as being the result of "significant discussion."
The budget is approximately $31 million and includes a tax increase of approximately seven percent compared to 2024, although this looks different across various electoral areas.
Bamfield residents, for example, will see a tax increase of approximately 5.91 percent in 2025 (equal to around $52.06 for the average assessed home in the area).
Meanwhile, Beaufort residents will see a 1.51 percent tax increase ($88.88), Long Beach residents will see a 10.70 percent tax increase ($40.82), Sproat Lake residents will see a 6.64 percent tax increase ($88.21), Beaver Creek residents will see a 7.21 percent tax increase ($119.62) and Cherry Creek residents will see a 5.62 percent tax increase ($131.90).
Fong said that any financial increases were targeted to address the evolving needs of the region, while also trying to balance fiscal responsibility and sustainability. The plan includes $11 million worth of capital projects, "many of which" are funded by senior levels of government, said Fong.
“So we’re taking advantage of grants wherever we can to get infrastructure upgrades done,” she added.
Some of the large ticket items in the budget include the expansion of transit services in the Alberni Valley and on the West Coast, Official Community Plan (OCP) updates for Long Beach and Sproat Lake, an expansion of Sproat Lake's Harold Bishop Fire Hall and the completion of a feasibility study regarding an alternate water supply for Beaver Creek.
Other priorities in the 2025 budget include discussions around the replacement of the aging Echo Aquatic Centre and a secondary route into the Alberni Valley.
In a later statement, ACRD board chair John Jack said that the ACRD board recognizes the current challenging economic situation the region is facing and explained that the regional district developed the plan to provide "essential services" without compromising financial stability.
The ACRD board has been working on the budget since February of this year. The budget must be adopted by May 15, 2025. A full breakdown of the financial plan can be found online at www.acrd.bc.ca/25-29-fp.
