Kamloops taxpayers will be able to have their say into the provisional 2024 budget at a public meeting at Sandman Centre tomorrow night.
It comes as City Council voted 8-1 to move forward with the proposed 10.8-per cent tax hike next year, with nearly three-quarters of the increase – about $10.2 million or 7.6-per cent – earmarked for union pay bumps to the RCMP, Kamloops Fire Rescue, and CUPE Local 900.
Speaking on NL Newsday, Councillor Katie Neustaeter says the city doesn’t have much control over those costs.
“From my perspective, its both the input of the residents over the weeks and months to come before its finalized but also looking at revenue generating opportunities as well as maybe historical reductions that we can make,” Neustaeter said. “And then maybe on top of that, what are some efficiencies that we can create.”
“I do think there is still room to move but you’re right, some of these are fixed costs.”
Councillor Margot Middleton says the city is trying to keep the increase as low as possible given the ongoing economic challenges.
“You know any increase is going to be difficult for many but we also have a city to run, we have services to supply and assets to look after,” Middleton said on NL Mornings. “We can’t just turn off the flow of funds and say we’ll just make do. It doesn’t quite work that way.”
City staff say another 1.9 per cent of the provisional increase in Kamloops is required to fund previously approved council decisions – like the hiring of more RCMP officers and boosting the city’s infrastructure reserves. Another one per cent or $1.35 million is being earmarked for the city’s Build Kamloops initiative, which is meant to try and fast track some of the goals in the Kamloops Recreation Master Plan.
At Tuesday’s Committee of the Whole meeting – where the budget was first presented publicly – City Council heard that other B.C. municipalities are looking at similar tax hikes in 2024. That includes a provisional 9.8 per cent in Coldstream, nine per cent in Mission, 8.6 per cent in Cranbrook, eight per cent in Saanich, 7.3 per cent in Chilliwack, and six per cent in Nanaimo.
Corporate Services Director David Hallinan said previously told Radio NL that it was “going to be a tough year” budget wise based on what City staff were seeing in other municipalities.
“I want to really preface there is a lot of risk in this budget this year. This is probably one of the most difficult budget years for putting [it] together based on just what is going on in the world around us,” Hallinan said at Tuesday’s meeting.
It is not clear what the average homeowner in Kamloops will be paying as BC Assessment is still working though its process to determine the impact of growth in Kamloops and how much new revenue will be added to city coffers.
“If you look at the utility rate increase and if you look now at the budget as it seems to be coming forward, what we are looking at really overall is going to be about $1 a day more between the two,” Middleton said, hinting the overall Kamloops taxpayer will be paying about $365 more than they did in 2023.
At this time, it is also not clear what the City’s supplemental budget will look like. Those items, which will be brought forward in February, may require additional tax revenue.
In addition to Thursday’s public budget meeting, there will be a second public budget meeting – likely in February – with City Council then expected to set its final tax rate in the spring.
The City is required to submit its finalized budget to the Province by the middle of May, with property taxes typically due in early July.
You can read Hallinan’s full report to the Committee of the Whole here.
