It’s official – Osoyoos taxpayers will be seeing a very slight increase in their property taxes and water and sewer user fees in 2015.

Town of Osoyoos council officially approved the town’s 2015 budget Monday meaning local taxpayers will see a 1.82 per cent increase in their property tax bill in 2015. This means an increase of less than $11 – or less than one dollar per month – for a single-family home assessed at approximately $370,000.

This is the second-consecutive year that local property owners will see an increase of 1.8 per cent on their property taxes.

The tax increase will raise $43,950 in tax based revenue for the Town of Osoyoos, said Jim Zakall, the town’s director of financial services, during his presentation to council.

Council held a special open budget meeting the second week in January to seek input from the community on this year’s budget.

The information in the town’s five-year financial plan reflects many of the recommendations provided to senior administration during the budget process, said Zakall.

The cost of the tax and user fee increases in 2015 to an average single family residence owner will be $613.41 in 2015, compared to $602.45 last year, an increase of $10.96.

The costs of garbage/recycling, sewer and water user fees is just over $14 per single family residence, meaning the total increase in property taxes and user fees is just under $25, said Zakall.

Some of the budget highlights for 2015 include:

• $10,000 in funding for the new Osoyoos Museum reserve fund. This accounts for .42 per cent of the property tax increase.

• The other 1.40 per cent tax increase will be used to offset an increase in the town’s net operating costs.

• Salaries and wages in the overall budget will increase by $81,830 in 2015. This includes the addition of one full-time employee in developmental services and allowance for maintenance coverage when an employee is on leave from the Sonora Community Centre.

• Garbage and recycling fees are proposed to increase to $124.44 from $120.

• Tipping fees at the Osoyoos Landfill will increase from $82 per tonne to $95 per tonne. Currently, the RDOS landfills charge $95 per tonne and larger companies had engaged in “landfill shopping” and were coming to Osoyoos to drop off huge loads because of the lower tipping fees. The increased tipping fees are also expected to increase revenues at the landfill and allow the town to reach revenue targets.

• Sewer rates will increase $4.53 annually for a single-family residence. The annual cost will increase to $231 in the town and $324 in Area A of the RDOS. This will increase revenues by $24,500, which will be used to maintain the same level of funding available for sewer-related capital costs in 2015.

• Water rates will increase by $7 annually for a single family residence to $314 and 2.28 per cent to other water rates. This will generate $31,000 in revenues for the town and will be used to increase the funding available for capital projects.

• The Water District will increase its rates by $8 for a single-family residence to $364 and 2.25 per cent to other water district rates. This will generate $11,200 in revenues that will be used to fund available capital projects.

• Wages and benefits to town employees will increase by just under $82,000 to $3,193,620 in 2015.

• There will be an increase in the community services budget of $19,420, including an increase of $3,900 for equipment repairs and maintenance and the majority will be for a wage increase.

• General operating expenditures, less transfers to other governments, transfers to reserves, resort municipality funding, contingencies and capital project expenditures, has increased by $200,000 to $4.87 million, an increase of 4.27 per cent.

• Sewer operating expenditures, less transfers to reserves, contingencies and capital project expenditures, will increase by $27,000 to $1.156 million, an increase of 2.32 per cent.

• Water operating expenditures, less transfers to reserves, contingencies and capital project expenditures, will increase by $33,315 to $1.56 million, an increase of 2.17 per cent.

Town council has approved boosting up several reserve funds in the 2015 budget. This includes $23,500 to the RCMP reserve fund, $11,500 to the town marina, $41,900 to purchase fire department equipment, $10,000 for the new Osoyoos Museum land restoration fun and $10,000 on a new wastewater recycling initiative fund.

General operating funds available for capital projects in 2015 are $475,000, down from $550,000 last year.

Sewer operating funds available for capital project expenditures in 2015 are $455,000, up from $448,000 last year.

Water operating funds available for capital projects in 2015 are $560,000, up from $497,000 last year.

Water user fees in the  Town of Osoyoos remain more than $60 less than those paid by the owner of a single-family residence in Oliver, said Zakall.

The three sewer capital projects on the books for 2015 in Osoyoos include the reconstruction project to upgrade the town’s main lift station, the Southeast Meadlowlark Sewer Extension project and the sewer extension project to the town’s new fire hall.

Coun. C. J. Rhodes thanked Zakall for once again doing a wonderful job in preparing the budget document, helping keep tax increases and user fee increases to a reasonable level.

“I want to thank Jim … this is a very time consuming process,” he said. “You once again have done a great job in coming in with a 1.8 per cent increase, which is very challenging in this day and age.”

KEITH LACEY

Osoyoos Times