Budget 2021

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Like other Canadian municipalities, Central Saanich must balance a budget that accounts for inflation, service delivery and putting away for aging infrastructure, and investing in new roles of local government, such as climate change and emergency management.

The 2021 Draft Financial Plan was prepared by staff and will be presented to Council for consideration in a series of presentations open to the public via Zoom. Meetings are being broadcast live and live-streamed.(External link) If you wish to speak or make a submission to Council, you can email municipalhall@csaanich.ca or call 250.652.4444 for information on how to participate in the meetings, or place written correspondence the drop box at Municipal Hall prior to 12 p.m., noon, on the day of the meeting.

Council budget meetings

Tues, Feb 16, 6 p.m. Introduction and Operations

Tues, Feb 23, 6 p.m. Operations continued

Mon, Mar 15, 6 p.m. Capital Plan

Mon, Mar 29, 6 p.m. Budget Summary and Council consideration


About Central Saanich's budget: Central Saanich offers a range of services but has limited revenue sources and we are focused on the long-term and prudent fiscal management. Services include Legislative and Administrative Services, Finance, Policing, Fire Protection, Planning, Building Inspections, Bylaw Enforcement, Community Services, Civil Engineering and Public Works Services including Roads, Drainage, Water, Sewer, and Parks.

Questions? Please post a question on this page or contact us (see Who's Listening to the right).

Like other Canadian municipalities, Central Saanich must balance a budget that accounts for inflation, service delivery and putting away for aging infrastructure, and investing in new roles of local government, such as climate change and emergency management.

The 2021 Draft Financial Plan was prepared by staff and will be presented to Council for consideration in a series of presentations open to the public via Zoom. Meetings are being broadcast live and live-streamed.(External link) If you wish to speak or make a submission to Council, you can email municipalhall@csaanich.ca or call 250.652.4444 for information on how to participate in the meetings, or place written correspondence the drop box at Municipal Hall prior to 12 p.m., noon, on the day of the meeting.

Council budget meetings

Tues, Feb 16, 6 p.m. Introduction and Operations

Tues, Feb 23, 6 p.m. Operations continued

Mon, Mar 15, 6 p.m. Capital Plan

Mon, Mar 29, 6 p.m. Budget Summary and Council consideration


About Central Saanich's budget: Central Saanich offers a range of services but has limited revenue sources and we are focused on the long-term and prudent fiscal management. Services include Legislative and Administrative Services, Finance, Policing, Fire Protection, Planning, Building Inspections, Bylaw Enforcement, Community Services, Civil Engineering and Public Works Services including Roads, Drainage, Water, Sewer, and Parks.

Questions? Please post a question on this page or contact us (see Who's Listening to the right).

  • Watch Budget Info Session

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    This recording of the virtual budget session on Thursday, February 11, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. includes a 20-min overview of the District of Central Saanich's Draft 2021 Financial Plan and a question-and-answer session.

    View Recording

    The Draft 2021 Financial Plan is published for public comment (closing March 10, 2021). It will be presented to Council along with a summary of feedback during budget meetings in February and March; all meetings are live streamed and public participation is encouraged.

    Council meetings are being broadcast live and livestreamed on the District’s website. Residents who wish to speak or make a submission to Council can email municipalhall@csaanich.ca or call 250.652.4444 for information on how to participate in the meetings. The public can also email feedback to Council directly or have it published as part of the agenda package by emailing municipalhall@csaanich.ca.

    • Tues, Feb 16, 6 p.m. Introduction and Operations
    • Tues, Feb 23, 6 p.m. Operations continued
    • Mon, Mar 15, 6 p.m. Capital Plan
    • Mon, Mar 29, 6 p.m. Budget Summary and Council consideration

  • Draft Budget Published

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    The District of Central Saanich's Draft 2021 Financial Plan is now published for public comment. You can either use the Q&A feature or reach out to staff directly to offer comments and pose your questions.

    The draft budget will be presented to Council along with a summary of feedback during budget meetings in February and March; all meetings are live streams and public participation is encouraged.

    Read the Draft 2021 Budget At-A-Glance

    Read the Full Draft 2021 Financial Plan

    Residents can also obtain a copy of the budget from Municipal Hall by phoning 250-652-4444.

  • Highlights of the 2021 Draft Budget

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    Budget highlights

    • At present, the Central Saanich draft 2021 budget is balanced at $32.4 million. The District received $3,455,000 from the Canada-BC Safe Restart Grant for Local Governments to cover impacts of the pandemic on the District’s operations and cash flow. The budget is influenced by economic recovery and maintains one of the lowest business tax rates in the CRD.
    • The 2021 draft budget is based on a property tax increase of 2.97%. The new costs enable the District to put away funds for future asset management/replacement, keep up with inflation, make improvements to public safety funding and build capacity in climate action, an area of focus for the District.
    • Council is focused on the following priorities for 2020-2022.
    • Invest in Road Safety, Transit and Safe, Accessible Active Transportation (An Active Transportation Plan is expected to be adopted in 2021 along with a financial strategy; for 2021, four projects are included in the budget subject to grant funding).
    • Invest in Climate Action and a Healthy Environment (the proposed draft plan includes adding a permanent climate action staff member to lead the implementation of our Climate Leadership Plan).
    • Focus on Strong Local Economy and Support Agriculture (we are maintaining one of the lowest tax rates for businesses in the CRD and investing in projects that will positively impact the local economy, such as the Saanichton Village Design Plan).
    • Manage Responsible Growth (the Infill Housing regulations and Official Community Plan Review are included as special projects).