Maple Ridge eyeing 6.87 per cent property tax increase for 2025

The average Maple Ridge homeowner is slated to pay nearly $200 more in property taxes this year, following city council’s first discussion on its new budget last month.

At a special council meeting on Dec. 9, staff proposed a 6.87 per cent tax increase — $187 more for homes valued at roughly $1.1 million — to maintain services and replace deteriorating city infrastructure, among other initiatives. 

The increase was chopped down by more than three per cent, according to staff. 

Initial projections found the city needed a 10.48 per cent hike to keep up with inflation, labour costs and other pressures. The figure that was four per cent higher than the property tax increase (6.3 per cent) council asked staff to pursue in July. 

Mayor Day Ruimy was pleased to see the number on the decline, but noted that nothing is finalized and the number may need to drop again. 

“Happy to see the numbers are coming down,” he said. “We still need to go sharpen our pencils.” 

Roughly half of the tax hike (3.85 per cent) is expected to go towards maintaining existing services. 

A little more than one per cent is slated for additional fire protection and RCMP staffing, while less than one per cent would go toward both infrastructure replacement projects and a park and recreation levy. The city’s 2025 sewer rate is also expected to rise by $136.  

The 6.87 per cent projection is slightly higher than the 6.5 per cent hike Maple Ridge approved last year. 

However, the tax increase would slot Maple Ridge in the lower third among neighbouring communities in the Lower Mainland. Coquitlam approved a 6.8 per cent hike last month, while Mission, New Westminster and Pitt Meadows were all eyeing increases around 7.5 per cent at the time. 

(On Dec. 10, Pitt Meadows approved a $59.4 million budget with a property tax increase of $214. Utilities also increased by $197 in the city.)

The reduction from a 10.48 to 6.87 per cent hike was made in a few different ways. 

Staff reported that converting street lights to LEDs, bringing contracted services in house, and revenue from film and building contributed to saving the city money. 

Film revenue, specifically, accounted for 0.15 per cent in savings this year, but C.K. Lee, the city’s manager of financial planning, expects the industry to become a bigger source of revenue for Maple Ridge in the future. Last month, the city also announced a new electric film kiosk to spur filming in the city. 

“It’s a very busy area for us,” Lee said. 

Roughly two percent of the increase is expected to go towards a number of ongoing enhancements projects. Those initiatives include targets such as increasing the number of lifeguards in the city, planting 750 trees by the end of 2026, and adding more community safety officer hours. 

You can read more of those goals on pages three and four of this document. 

A series of one-time decision packages totaling $2.13 million for 2025 were also introduced at the special council meeting. 

The city hopes to implement a two-year tree planting program and host a regional event similar to the ‘Our Neck of The Woods’ celebration in September. In the fall, The Ridge reported that Ruimy was interested in bringing back the popular party.

The one-time packages support Bus Rapid Transit planning and provincial housing targets. And the packages, which do not impact the property tax increase, may cover the introduction of a new household hazardous waste recycling event. 

At the meeting, council also allocated $2 million from a provincial grant to an ongoing spray park project at Maple Ridge Park. Construction on the spray park began in October, and the city is expected to provide an update sometime this month. 

Another overview of the city’s financial plan is likely to be presented to council again this month. The overview will confirm the property tax increase and utility rates, before being sent for public engagement. 

The final plan is scheduled to be adopted in February.