NEWS DETAILS

Help us shape the City’s 2025-26 biennial budget 

The City is launching its biannual community survey on June 12. We’re asking community members who may receive a call or text from a 564 area code to please take the call and tell the City what they think about livability, City services, and community priorities. Input collected through the survey will assist staff and City Council in developing the City’s 2025-26 biennial budget.

This budget cycle will be more challenging than the last due to the compounding impacts of significant inflation across all the City’s spending categories, a softening of our revenues due to slowing growth, and the incremental costs of added programs in recent years.

These factors contribute to a deficit between what it costs to provide services and what we have to provide them. As a result, there is a gap of $43 million that needs to be closed over the biennium.

The City Council has asked that we explore a combination of potential revenue increases, service reprioritizations, and expenditure reductions to close the gap. The council will discuss revenue options during their Monday, June 10 Workshop. These options include cable utility tax, video streaming excise tax, commercial parking, admissions taxes, and tapping into the banked property tax capacity to cover the projects included in Proposition 2. Optimizing fee-for-service revenue will also be part of the solution. The Council will also consider asking the Transportation Benefit District Board to adopt an additional $10 per vehicle license fee and potentially consider realigning the revenue from the business license surcharge increases. You can watch the workshop live or later at your convenience at CVTV.

Stay informed

Along with our survey, the community will have opportunities over the summer to share your thoughts with the City. To stay informed, you can follow our budget webpage. 

Join us at the next City Council Community Forum 

Vancouver City Council is holding its next quarterly Council Community Forum from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Monday, June 24, at Firstenburg Community Center.

These community forums offer another opportunity for you to be heard in person at a location other than City Hall. You are invited to meet your City Councilors, share your experiences and hopes for the future of Vancouver, and bring your questions or concerns to share in small roundtable discussions.

All community members are welcome to attend. No RSVP or registration is required. If you need interpretation services or accommodations with a disability, please contact the City Manager’s office at (360) 487-8600 (Voice/TTY 711). Every attempt at reasonable accommodation will be made.