FAQs
Advocacy: Council continues to advocate through agencies such as UBCM for long-term, predictable, and stable funding that better reflects the reality of local government operations. UBCM is engaging with the Province to develop changes to the local government finance system in BC through the Local Government Financial Review Working Group.
Economic Growth: We are growing the commercial and industrial tax base to strengthen our local economy.
MRDT Application: The Municipal and Regional Destination Tax (MRDT) program is a funding tool to support tourism and grow our local economy. The District is currently conducting stakeholder engagement to support an application to the province for its MRDT application.
Development Cost Charges (DCCs): We are ensuring DCCs are representative of development costs while balancing housing affordability impacts. Learn more at sooke.ca/dcc.
Grant Applications: The District aggressively pursues grants from provincial and federal governments, as well as agencies like ICBC through their Road Safety Program.
How is the budget created?
The District uses a participatory budget process, where resident input lays the foundation to building the budget. Each year from mid-June to mid-August the annual budget is available for you to offer budget feedback. Council receives this information in a report in the fall, and staff build the budget based on direction provided by Council based on your input.
Where do property taxes go?
Your property taxes fund services like police and fire in Sooke, but on your tax bill, the District collects taxes on behalf of other agencies. Use the District's PROPERTY TAX CALCULTOR to learn how much you pay and what you receive for each municipal service. Some taxes go to regional services (Capital Regional District) and education (provincial school tax).
Where does the budget money come from?
Taxes are just one source of income used to fund District services, grants, and fees and charges are others. Learn more about District grant applications here.
What is the District doing to alleviate pressure on taxpayers?
The District is actively diversifying income sources to reduce reliance on residential taxes:
Why does the District uses dollars more often than percentages when talking about tax increase?
It’s important to keep percentages in perspective. For example, a 1% tax increase in Sooke yields approximately $109,000 in revenue, whereas for other municipalities in the Capital Regional, that same 1% yields five times as much. Despite the lower revenue, our expenses for infrastructure and services are often comparable—or even greater.
For example, many roads in Sooke are built to rural standards. This applies to not only what you see, such as narrow roads or the absence of sidewalks, but what is underground such as the base applied, or not, and stormwater management. In turn, when roads are upgraded, investments in underground infrastructure even to maintain a road surface that appears to be the same above ground may be required.
How do property assessment affect taxes?
BC Assessment sets your property's value each year. If your property's value changes more or less that the average in Sooke, your taxes will be adjusted slightly more or less in the same way. Learn more about the relationship between property taxes and your assessment through the BC Assessment website.
What are reserves and reserve funds?
Reserves and reserve funds are monies set aside to fund future expenditures, similar to personal savings accounts. Funds can be drawn from these accounts for major capital projects such as roads and bridges or to offset potential tax increases, but it is important they are replenished regularly.