As expected, after several hours of budget deliberations, Town council approved another nine per cent tax increase.
It’s a carbon copy of last year’s increase to boost the tax base in preparation for the Town exceeding 5,000 population, at which point it must start paying 70 per cent of policing costs (to the tune of more than $1 million).
Chief Financial Officer Doug Leahy said final assessment information has not yet been received from BC Assessment, therefore, it is not known how much the nine per cent increase will impact the average homeowner. Last year’s nine per cent resulted in nearly $50 more in municipal taxes.
Council approved several major capital projects this year including:
Rehabilitation of Packinghouse Lane, Airport Street and Co-op for $1.05 million (developer responsible for approximately $300,000 of this project)
Fairview Bridge repairs and maintenance ($302,000)
Fire department tender truck replacement ($100,000)
New fire department command vehicle ($50,000)
Solar panels on fire hall ($58,000)
Some new operating budget items approved are:
In-house bylaw enforcement ($44,000 for new staff)
Victim services additional staff support ($15,000)
Food Secure Oliver continuation ($15,000)
Fairview Road and Station Street intersection improvement study ($8,000)
