Draft 2025 Budget Reflects City’s Responsibility for Policing Costs
DUNCAN – The City of Duncan’s 2025 budget process is underway and residents are encouraged to attend Council meetings to listen, learn, and ask questions.
Property taxes are based on the assessed value of property as determined by BC Assessment, an independent third party that values all property in BC. The City’s draft 2025 budget includes a tax increase of 11.3%, of which 11% is due to mandatory policing costs.
The proposed 11.3% tax increase translates to an estimated additional $214/year for homeowners with a single-family residential property valued at the 2025 average of $585,448.
“Council will continue to work with residents to navigate the costs of the critical policing services that help keep our community safe,” says Mayor Michelle Staples. “We recognize the ongoing financial pressures many face and the need for careful consideration of how resources are allocated. Policing is an essential service, but it’s also about finding the right balance to ensure safety, trust, and fairness in how our community is serviced by Provincial policing.”
In British Columbia, the provincial government is responsible for providing policing and law enforcement to municipalities with a population of under 5,000. In 2021, the City’s population surpassed 5,000. Under the BC Police Act, this required the City to pay for 70% of its RCMP member costs and 100% of the related support and detachment building costs.
With this change, the City negotiated with the provincial government to determine how many police officers the City would be required to fund. Based on the number of calls for service in this area, the provincial government required the City to fund eight officers in 2022, increasing by one officer each year until reaching 12 officers in 2026. The City must also contribute proportionally to the operating costs of the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP detachment building, administration, and equipment.
Duncan residents should also be aware that there may be an impending download of 911 police dispatch costs from the Province to local governments in the coming years. While this transition is still under review and does not impact the 2025 budget, residents should anticipate future costs associated with this change.
Residents are invited to attend a presentation on the draft 2025 budget on January 27, 2025 from 4:00 – 5:00 pm at City Hall, and to attend Committee of the Whole meetings about the budget on February 3rd and March 3rd at 10:00 a.m.
Detailed information about the City’s draft budget can be found at: https://bigconversations.duncan.ca/2025-budget-information.
In British Columbia, municipalities are required to finalize their budgets before May 15 of each year.
Press Release: Draft 2025 Budget Reflects City’s Responsibility for Policing Costs
