Mayor Brenda Locke wants a “value for money” audit on a department-by-department basis at city hall “to ensure that we are spending our residents money in the most responsible way possible.”
She made the request of city manager Rob Costanzo at the April 22 council meeting.
“I would like a plan to be submitted to do this by the end of Q2 if that’s possible. I’m not married to Q2, but if it is possible, that would be preferable,” she said.
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Locke also asked city staff to “consider” converting the Capital Parcel Tax to a General Tax Levy “that should be revenue neutral for the 2025 budget.”
“The Capital Parcel Tax was tripled by the previous mayor and his councillors to hide the real tax increase. It unfairly and disproportionately taxes people that can least afford it,” Locke said.
A particular bone of contention for many who were critical of a previous city budget, which was approved on a 5-4 vote by the Safe Surrey Coalition majority on council in December 2020, was a 200 per cent increase in the capital parcel tax increase – which sat at $100 per parcel before increasing to $300.
“It is always important that we keep Surrey taxpayers at the forefront of everything that we do,” Locke remarked.