Council advances three major infrastructure projects from Surrey Invests initiative voiceonline.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from voiceonline.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Artistic rendering of the City of Surrey s new Cloverdale Sport and Ice Complex. (RDHA)
During a public meeting on Monday, Surrey City Council approved the measure of permitting city staff to proceed with the process of obtaining a loan of $150.6 million to fund three new major community and recreational facilities.
The long-term borrowing scheme will fully cover the construction costs of the new replacement $90-million Newton Community Centre, including the land acquisition, as well as the full costs of the $40-million City Centre Sports Complex.
Another $20.6 million will be borrowed to help cover the $50.1-million Cloverdale Sport and Ice Complex, with the remaining $29.5 million funded through pay-as-you-go city financing.
(Kristen Frier)
The City Surrey Council approved the city’s 2021 budget, which includes a number of controversial tax increases. Passed in a five-to-four vote on Dec. 7, Budget 2021 and its five-year financial plan polarized both sides of the virtual meeting.
Mayor Doug McCallum said in a statement that while he understands not increasing the burden faced by taxpayers, “the adversity that we face now with the pandemic will eventually come to an end, and Budget 2021 plans for life after COVID by investing in public projects in the form of facilities, parks and other infrastructure projects.”
For the third year in a row, the city will see a 2.9 per cent property tax increase and a 200 per cent increase in the capital parcel tax from $100 to $300 per household. In response, city councillors Brenda Locke and Jack Hundial quit their positions on the Parcel Tax Review Committee.