FAQs
1. Where does the City get its revenue from?
Similar to most Canadian municipalities, property taxation is the largest source of revenue (61 per cent for the City in 2023) funding most services provided by the City, followed by utility user fees from the water, sewer, solid waste and stormwater programs.
The City gets some additional revenue from parking, Victoria Conference Centre and property leases.
2. What is a city budget?
Like your own personal budget, the City’s budget is divided into two types of expenses – operating and capital.
The operating budget includes daily or regular expenses to keep things running smoothly. In your household, these would be things such as gas for your vehicle or groceries for your family. For the City, this includes garbage collection, clean water and the maintenance of facilities such as Crystal Pool and community centres, to name a few.
The capital budget includes one-time purchases or upgrades to invest in the future – things like renovations for your home or new appliances. For the City, capital expenses include things like road improvements, park upgrades or equipment needed to maintain roads or respond to emergencies.
3. What does the City's Operating budget include?
The City’s Operating budget includes the majority of City’s services that are delivered by staff and the ongoing programs and services that the community relies on including recreation, road maintenance, clean water, land-use planning, solid waste collection, arts and culture programs, parks and playground maintenance, and public safety through the Fire Department, Bylaw Services and VicPD.
The Operating budget also includes resources to advance initiatives outlined in numerous plans such as the City’s Climate Leadership Plan, the Victoria Housing Strategy, Create Victoria and the City’s economic action plan Victoria 3.0.
4.What does the City's Capital Budget include?
The City’s Capital budget includes various programs and projects to upgrade and rehabilitate the City’s infrastructure. The 2023 capital budget proposes sidewalk and crosswalk upgrades, cycling network implementation, rehabilitation of streets, park and playground improvements, facility lifecycle renewals, and underground infrastructure upgrades for the City’s water, sewer and stormwater systems.
5. What are the City's reserves?
The City’s reserve funds are set up to save up money for future investment with the intent of smoothing out the impact on taxpayers, especially in years where larger than typical investments are needed. The City’s Reserve Fund Bylaw outlines the purposes and uses for each reserve.