VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – People living in Vancouver should brace for a tax hike. Vision Vancouver says there will be an increase of about two per cent, but one NPA councillor thinks it will be way more.

There is a budget shortfall and Councillor George Affleck says the city needs between $20 to $45 million.

Affleck predicts the bump of two per cent will look more like four per cent and he says they don’t have the tools to find savings. “The people at the city are not provided with a detailed budget. We don’t get a line by line budget, we don’t get departmental budgets, we don’t get any details. So it’s hard to say we should cut here or there.”

Water and sewage costs are expected to go up as well. “My concern is where is the money going? We can’t get the details. There are consistent budget increases over the rate of inflation. The current rate of inflation is 0.3 per cent and we have a budget here that’s a minimum two per cent increase for taxpayers. Where is that money going?”

Part of the money will go to cover the cost of raises given to unionized workers. “With the exception of police officers and firefighters, all of the collective agreements covering the City’s unionized employees have been ratified,” it says in a report.

“Supportive housing expenses and maintenance costs are also expected to increase. Maintaining core services and support for community programs and grants will be a cornerstone of the 2014 Budget.”

The city is planning a public consultation on the budget with a vote on tax increases in December.