What Squamish Wants › More info
Council is deciding
How much should property taxes go up in 2027?
The District’s own page on this: Let's Talk Squamish: Budget 2027 › Its official surveys and meetings are posted there. Answering here does not replace them.
Skip to answeringEach year council adopts a financial plan that sets how much money the District of Squamish raises from property taxes. In 2026, the money raised from property taxes went up 12.8%. For the average single family home, the municipal part of the tax bill rose about $520.
Staff's draft for 2027, presented on September 29, 2026, starts at a 10.4% increase, or about $342 for the average home. Most of that, 6.6%, is costs already committed, such as wage contracts, police contract costs, transit and debt payments for new facilities. Another 2.4% goes to a reserve for repairing and replacing roads, pipes and buildings. Items still waiting for council approval would add more.
For comparison, prices in British Columbia were 3.0% higher in September 2026 than a year earlier. Staff costs and contracts for a town do not always move with consumer prices. The new council takes over the draft. Adoption is expected in early 2027 (last year it was adopted January 13). These numbers are a draft as of October 2026 and will change.
Key facts
- 2026 increase
- 12.8% more property tax revenue than 20252
- 2027 starting draft
- 10.4%, about $342 for the average home, before new items1
- Already committed
- 6.6% of the 10.4% (wages, police, transit, debt and more)1
- Infrastructure reserve
- 2.4% of the 10.4%, under the District's asset funding plan1
- B.C. inflation
- 3.0% (September 2026 over September 2025)5
- Forecast for 2028
- 12.7% increase, before items still to be approved1
Where it stands
Council is deciding This is in front of council now, so it could be decided at an upcoming meeting.
Who decides: Squamish council.
What each answer would mean
- Freeze them (no increase)Services, repairs or projects get cut or delayed to make the budget balance.
- Up by inflation onlyKeeps the District’s buying power about the same; some new spending waits.
- Above inflation if neededPays for growth, repairs and new services, with a bigger tax bill.
The case for each answer
The strongest honest case for each side, as people who hold it would put it.
Freeze them (no increase)
- After a 12.8% jump in 2026, many households need a break, and a freeze forces a hard look at every cost.
- It would mean cutting or delaying services, repairs or projects, since most of the starting increase is costs already committed.
Up by inflation only
- Keeps tax growth in line with what households are seeing in prices, about 3% in B.C. this year.
- Council would need to find savings or delay new spending to close the gap with the 10.4% draft.
Above inflation if needed
- Squamish is growing fast and has aging roads, pipes and buildings; putting off repairs can cost more later.
- Staff say most of the starting increase comes from contracts, debt and reserve payments that are hard to avoid.
How we got here
- January 13, 2026Council adopted the District's first 10 year financial plan.4
- September 29, 2026Staff presented the draft 2027 general fund budget with a 10.4% starting increase.1
- November 3, 2026The new council's first meeting.3
- December 1, 2026Council budget workshop to tie the plan together.3
- Late 2026 to early 2027Public information night (date to be confirmed) and adoption of the financial plan bylaw.3
Questions people ask
Does a 10.4% increase mean my bill goes up 10.4%?
Not exactly. It is the increase in total tax revenue. Your share depends on how your assessment changed compared with others.3
How can I give my view?
Email budgetfeedback@squamish.ca, use the questions on the Let's Talk Squamish budget page, or attend the budget information night.3
What does the 10.4% pay for?
6.6% for committed costs, 2.4% for the infrastructure reserve, 1.3% for service changes already endorsed or critical, and 0.1% for critical special projects.1
Ready to decide?
Your answer
Tap to answer, then see what Squamish said. Tap your answer again to take it back.
- How much should property taxes go up in 2027?Property taxes rose 12.8% in 2026. The draft 2027 budget starts at a 10.4% increase, and the new council decides it, with adoption expected early 2027 (last year: January 13).
More background
- What should happen with people still camping downtown?
- Put the modular shelter somewhere other than the park near Junction Park
- What should happen with the supportive housing planned at 39900 Government Road?
- Install the defibrillator at the Brennan Park pickleball and tennis courts this year
- When should Squamish build more pickleball courts?
- Fix up the Eaglewind courts and reopen them for tennis
- What should Brennan Park add next?
- Fence the off leash dog area at John Hunter Park
- Build covered outdoor basketball courts
- Keep the new crosswalk and wider multi use lane on Highlands Way North
- Put raised crosswalks and new signs on Upper Mamquam Road
- Put a raised crosswalk and new signs on Skyline Drive
- Make the Highway 99 and Cleveland Avenue intersection safer
- Should downtown parking stay free?
- Should Squamish help pay for a bus to Vancouver and Whistler?
- How should Squamish speed up dike upgrades?
Sources
- District of Squamish: 2027 to 2036 Financial Plan, General Fund Operating staff report (September 29, 2026)
- District of Squamish: Your Property Taxes at Work, 2026 tax insert
- Let's Talk Squamish: Budget 2027
- Let's Talk Squamish: Budget 2026
- BC Stats: Consumer Price Index highlights, September 2026
Spot something wrong or out of date? Email squamishvoters@gmail.com.