Here's how Sechelt’s tax rates are shaping up

Sechelt residents got a near complete view of what their 2022 property tax bills will look like on April 27. 

Before school or fire protection district levies are added in, the owners of an “average” Sechelt residential property will be charged about $4,300 in 2022 taxes and fees. That is up $330 when compared to the 2021 level, when the school and fire protection amounts are removed. 

The numbers come from a staff report on the 2022-2026 financial plan for Wednesday’s committee of the whole. 

The committee agreed with staff’s recommendation to increase the commercial property tax multiplier in 2022 to 2.73 times the residential rate. That rate was 2.34 in 2021. Staff stated that as residential assessment increases were higher than those for other property classes, raising the multiplier would help keep the portion of municipal tax revenues collected from the different property classes stable. 

Staff now have the OK to place the draft 2022 taxation rates bylaws onto the agenda for the May 4 council meeting. That bylaw requires adoption by May 15. Tax bills are normally accessible online and are in the mail before the end of May. 

The increase to municipal taxes payable for residential properties averages 8.3 per cent over 2021 levels. With assessed residential property values up more than 30 per cent higher than in the previous year, the municipal tax or mill rate will be lower than it was in 2021. Even with that factor in the tax amount equation down, the large increase in the other factor, assessed values, results in a $136 increase in the amount that Sechelt is looking to collect in taxes from owners of an “average” residential property (that doesn't include fees). In 2022, the average Sechelt residential property was assessed at $865,000; up from $638,000 the year before.

Sechelt is also looking to increase both sewer and septage fees by 6.2 percent this year. It doesn’t matter if one’s home’s liquid waste gets treated onsite or at the Water Resource Centre, disposing of that waste is slated to cost more in 2022. Garbage and recycling fees will also increase in 2022.

Proportionally, the largest change on 2022 tax bills for Sechelt homeowners comes complements of general and recreation taxation from the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD). Those two items will add a bump of $116 in taxes for that same property. 

Although not part of property tax bills, increases to fees from the SCRD to residential property owners for water services will also impact most residential properties in Sechelt. 2022 water utility bills are slated to be issued at the end of April and are to be paid by June 15.