Regional district’s 2026-2030 Financial plan process underway

Pemberton, BC – The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) begins its 2026-2030 financial plan development process this month with the first Board presentation of preliminary regional budgets.

The preliminary draft budgets for 2026 regional services will be presented to the SLRD Board of Directors at the December 18, 2025 Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting, marking the start of the 2026-2030 financial plan process.

The SLRD is required to adopt a five-year Financial Plan annually (also known as the budget). Budget consultation includes a project page on Get Involved SLRD: Budget Talk: 2026-2030 Financial Plan.

Once developed, the draft plan will be shared there, with an opportunity for public review and comment. All comments received will be brought back for the Board’s consideration at the February, 2026 COW meeting.

The preliminary draft 2026 regional budgets presented to the Board this week are not intended as a commitment or final budget position, and is the first review by the Board. Any suggestedchanges will be incorporated in future budget presentations at the COW (January – March) with
final adoption of the annual five-year Financial Plan Bylaw required by March 31, 2026.

The preliminary draft regional budgets have been prepared by staff based on workplans and the SLRD’s Strategic Plan. The assessments used to estimate taxation are the 2025 revised property assessment values (April 2025) as 2026 property assessments will not be available until January.

While 2025 assessments cannot be used to calculate 2026 tax rates, they enable a comparison of average household costs between 2025 and 2026 without the influence of assessment changes or market shifts. Projected tax rates will be updated in future budget reports presented in January with the new 2026 Completed Assessment Roll along with the full 5-year plans for each service.

Through the Local Government Act and the Community Charter, local governments are required to adopt a five-year financial plan bylaw by the end of March each year. The planning period covered must be for a minimum of five years. The financial plan is often referred to as the budget, which includes estimated expenditures to provide for the Board’s priorities, polices and services. Sufficient funds need to be raised to ensure individual service operating budgets remain balanced.

“Our budget planning process is about making thoughtful decisions that reflect the priorities of the communities,” said SLRD Board Chair Jen Ford. “We encourage residents to review the proposed budget and share their feedback – your input helps to ensure that our investments align with the needs and values of the region.”

Regional District budgeting is unlike municipal government budgeting, with several notable differences:

• Every service provided by the regional district requires its own budget, using dedicated cost centres which identify the full cost of the service to the Regional District, including staff time, overhead and all applicable expenses.
• Each service has its own tax rate and service area, so the taxes paid are dependent on where you live in the regional district and which services are applicable to your area. Only property owners within a cost centre/ service area pay for that service (for example, wastewater service in Britannia Beach is only paid for by those people in the service area).
• Funds cannot be transferred between services of differing areas.
• Regional District assessment property class multipliers are set by the Province of British Columbia.
  The Regional District is not a taxing authority and therefore, does not collect taxes itself. The Province of BC (Surveyor of Taxes) collects taxation funds on behalf of the Regional District.

The tax impact on the average home in each specific area varies and is heavily dependent on the unique mix of services provided to each area. The year over year change is determined by using the specified tax rate per service and multiplying by the assessed value provided by BC Assessment.

The SLRD oversees different services across the region. Depending on where residents live in the SLRD, they may receive services such as:

• Fire protection
• Water
• Sewer treatment
• Curbside collection
• Parks
• Transit
• Recreation
• Search and Rescue
• Library
• 911

Property tax notices are issued by the Surveyor of Taxes in May of each year.

Last year’s Rural Property Tax Guides for each Electoral Area are available on the SLRD website:

• Electoral Area A 2025 Rural Property Tax Guide
• Electoral Area B 2025 Rural Property Tax Guide
• Electoral Area C 2025 Rural Property Tax Guide
• Electoral Area D 2025 Rural Property Tax Guide
   

Pervious financial plans and financial statements are available on the SLRD website.