How the City budget works

Every year, City Council has to balance what it costs to run Prince George against what residents pay in property tax and user fees. Here’s how that works and where to find the numbers.

The short version

• 2026 tax levy increase: 4.94%, about $144 a year for the average home, valued at $467,684.
• About 70% of your tax bill funds City services. The rest is collected for other agencies.
• Water, sewer and garbage are funded separately through the utility bill.
• The budget is adopted as a five-year Financial Plan, updated every year.

Two budgets in one

Budget	Operating budget	Capital budget
Pays for	Day-to-day services: staff, policing contract, snow clearing, fuel, utilities, programs	Long-lived assets: roads, pipes, buildings, vehicles, facility renovations
Funded by	Property tax, user fees, grants	Reserves, borrowing, grants, and some tax and fee revenue
Examples	Fire Rescue, Bylaw Services, parks maintenance	Aquatic Centre upgrades, road rehabilitation, fleet replacement

Large capital projects often span several years. Council can amend the capital plan mid-year, and the City lists every capital plan amendment on its finance page with links to the staff report and minutes.

The yearly cycle

1. Public input (late summer to fall). The City runs a budget survey on its Get Involved site asking which services matter most. For 2027, phase 1 runs September 1 to October 7, 2026; phase 2 opens November 27.
2. Staff prepare a draft. Based on council’s strategic priorities, contracts, inflation and infrastructure needs, staff draft the Financial Plan and Capital Plan, with a Budget and Finance Reference Guide.
3. Budget council meetings (winter). Council works through the budget line by line at public meetings, usually starting at 1 p.m. It can add, cut or defer items. The 2026 budget was settled over two days of deliberations.
4. Financial Plan bylaw. Council adopts the five-year plan as a bylaw.
5. Tax rates (spring). Once BC Assessment values are final, council sets tax rates for each property class. Rates must be adopted before May 15 under provincial law.
6. Tax notices go out, and payment is due in early July (July 3 in 2026).
7. Annual Report (June). Audited financial statements and progress on priorities for the previous year.

Where your tax dollars go

The City’s tax insert lists the agencies that get a share of your bill. Besides the City itself, these are:

• the Province of BC (school taxes)
• BC Assessment
• the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George
• regional 9-1-1 service
• the Fraser-Fort George Regional Hospital District
• the Municipal Finance Authority

The City sets only its own portion. The others set their own requisitions.

Comparing with other cities

People often compare Prince George’s tax rate with other cities. The City points out that rates alone are misleading. A city with high home values can have a low rate and still collect the same dollars from a similar house. Compare the actual tax on a typical home instead. BC’s local government statistics publish this for every municipality.

Key documents

Document	What’s in it
Financial Plan (5-year)	Operating and capital budgets by service area
Capital Plan	Project-by-project capital spending
Budget and Finance Reference Guide	Background to help read the plan
Tax rate table	Rates for each property class, by year
Annual Report	Audited statements and results for the previous year (2025 report published June 2026)
Statement of Financial Information (SOFI)	Council pay, staff over $75,000, suppliers over $25,000, grants
Sustainable Finance Policy	Council’s rules for reserves, debt and long-term stability
Strategic Plan (2023–2026) and corporate work plan	Council’s priorities

All are linked from the City’s finance page. There’s also an interactive SOFI dashboard on the open data portal.

How to influence the budget

• Take the budget survey on Get Involved.
• Write to council by noon, six days before a budget meeting (see how council works).
• Request to appear as a delegation.
• Watch budget meetings live or later.
• Vote. The next council, elected October 17, 2026, will set the 2027 budget. See election 2026.

For your own bill

For due dates, payment options, the home owner grant and utility rates, see property taxes and utilities.

Related: city council, public notices and engagement. See key numbers on the dashboard.