Vancouver’s proposed 2026 budget lands at City Hall Wednesday morning.
Council members are expected to present and review a $2.4 billion operating budget that maintains Mayor Ken Sim’s ‘Zero Means Zero’ freeze on property tax increases.
Staff reports insist front-line services will be protected while the city finds $120 million in savings and new revenue.
The proposal claims the savings will be “achieved through revenue optimization, cost-effective service delivery, service level reviews, and capital efficiencies.”
Under the proposed budget, the Vancouver Police Board will receive an operating budget of $525,277,245 in expenditures and transfers and $28,165,572 in revenues. Last week, city council also agreed to pay the Vancouver Police Department’s $17 million deficit.
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While property taxes will freeze, the proposal says utility fees will increase by an average of 4.2 per cent, following the city’s “ongoing investment in underground infrastructure renewal.”
Meanwhile, the capital budget for 2026 is $894 million — up from 2025’s $880 million.
“Notable capital projects in the Budget include renewal and expansion of the PNE Amphitheatre, Cambie Bridge seismic upgrades, construction of the new Marpole Community Center [sic], and expenditures for ongoing annual capital programs, such as sewer main renewal, fleet replacement and capital grants.”
The capital and operating budgets drafts will be reviewed at a special council meeting starting at 9:30 a.m.
Over 600 members of the public and eight public body and union representatives have signed up to speak to the reports presented Wednesday.
City council will hold a final debate and vote on the proposals on Nov. 25.
—With files from Michael Williams