The appearance in recent weeks, of utility bills for water, sewer and garbage for the first quarter of 2025 has resulted in a flood of calls into the town office and mayhem on local social media as mis- and dis-information ran rampant.
The average residential tax rate will jump by $36.84 next year after Osoyoos council decided recently to accelerate the funding for its asbestos abatement plan from five years to three.
About 300 Osoyoos property owners did not pay their property taxes by the July 2 deadline but this number is inline with previous years while four property owners were denied their request to have penalties for late or non-payment of their taxes waived.
The B.C. Seniors Advocate is reminding homeowners aged 55+ that they can apply now to defer their 2022 property tax payments through the provincial government’s Property Tax Deferral Program.
Area C director Rick Knodel says wealthy people are pushing property values out of sight in low-income rural areas, forcing locals out of the market.
