The City of Maple Ridge has started preparing a budget for the coming year, and is inviting public input.
Department presentations were held on Tuesday, Oct. 22, during a three-hour meeting in which representatives of each department offered an overview.
City CAO Scott Hartman called the process "A bit of show and tell."
"It's an opportunity for council to meet your department heads, and some of their key staff, and talk about their achievements this year," said Hartman. "And again, it sets the premise and the stage for the conversations you're going to have in December with respect to budget increases and requests for additional services."
Some of the highlights from the 16 departments included:
Val Richmond of facilities parks and properties said her department's challenge is meeting demand and expectations for new recreation infrastructure, and building for the future in a climate of cost escalation.
Superintendent Wendy Mehat of the RCMP spoke about officer workload, and that one Ridge officer has 60 police files, which is a higher load than neighbouring detachments.
Mehat noted it was an "extremely heavy year for us," with the shooting death of Const. Rick O'Brien. She said his loss still impacts members, and will through the coming murder trial.
De-integration of the Ridge Meadows RCMP into two detachments serving Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows is a coming challenge.
Mental health calls are another, and the detachment had 507 mental health apprehensions so far this year, with a minimum of two officers responding.
Bylaws director Michelle Adams said animal control is a new challenge for her department, with the SPCA no longer handling this work, which includes dog bite investigations and animals roaming.
Unlawful encampments and aggressive and violent individuals are other challenges.
Adams told councillors an incarcerated individual was recently released and "in three days he has caused four calls for service from the RCMP, and he's known to be aggressive toward community safety officers."
"So these are the challenges we're dealing with," she said.
Engineering operations are completing a street lighting program, replacing 5,220 old bulbs with LED lights. The multi-year project will be finished at the end of the month.
"So there's light at the end of the tunnel... See what I did there," joked Walter Oleschak, director of engineering and operations.
He said in 2019, before the program started, the hydro bill was $25,000 per month, and it has dropped to $11,000.
Oleschak said future challenges are presented by extreme weather – heat domes, snowstorms, and flooding.
The city is preparing budgets 2025 for capital expenditures of $112 million, and an operating budget of $160 million. The city now has 831 employees. The city is also preparing a 2025-2029 financial plan.
The 2024 property tax increase was 6.5 per cent, and it was 5.65 per cent in 2023.
The city will conduct public engagement until Nov. 3, then will see a budget overview and work plans on Dec. 2 and 1, and deliberate on the five-year financial plan on Dec. 9 and 10.
Maple Ridge residents and business owners can provide their input through an online survey until Nov. 5 at Engage.MapleRidge.ca/Budget2025.
“The city's annual budget funds our core services and addresses key priorities to meet the needs of our fast-growing community,” said Mayor Dan Ruimy. “Engaging our residents early helps us better understand what’s important before we finalize our budget and ensures we deliver on what matters to our residents. I encourage everyone to share their thoughts and help shape the future of Maple Ridge.”
Printed copies of the survey are available upon request at Engage@MapleRidge.ca or 604-466-4300 (dial 4 and extension 5305).