2.27%

By Jeremy Deutsch - Kamloops This Week - April 13, 2008

After spending months crunching the numbers at city hall, a clearer picture has emerged on the rate residents can expect to see on their upcoming property-tax notices. The city is now projecting a total property-tax increase of 1.97 per cent for 2008. For residential property owners, it translates to a 2.27 per cent increase. There will be a commercial tax increase of 2.11 per cent and a one per cent increase for heavy industry. The numbers are based on a 23 per cent average rise in assessed property value. Mayor Terry Lake said he feels comfortable with the hike, noting it’s one of the lowest increases of any municipality in B.C.

The city was able to keep the increase down due in part to a $3.3-million RCMP surplus.The city typically budgets for a complement of 115 officers but, due to various circumstances, it tends to have on average 100 officers on the payroll. Kamloops will continue to budget for 115 officers in 2008, but will put $1.1 million into its general reserve and leave the rest of the money behind in its RCMP reserve.

Along with the tax increase, council approved a number of capital items at a total cost of $1.1 million for the 2008 budget. Among the items approved were paving the Lorne Street parking lot at a cost of $300,000, the relocation of the parks and recreation department to the Tournament Capital Centre for $350,000 and the addition of marquee signs in the McArthur Island Sports Centre for $100,000. Lake credits the city for looking at other sources of revenue, like user fees and building permits, to offset tax increases. “That’s really paid off for taxpayers and limited the types of increases we have to pass on,” he said. Instead of having a zero per cent property-tax increase, city council took staff’s suggestion and decided to apply some of its surplus toward paying off its short-term and long-term debts, something Lake believes will limit future tax increases. “The net benefit to taxpayers has a more long-lasting effect than a one-time election year goody,” he said. And Lake was quick to recognize senior levels of government for contributing much-needed funds in the form of gas-tax and traffic-fine revenue, along with municipal-infrastructure grants. City staff will spend the next few weeks putting together the city’s five-year financial plan, then bring forward the tax rate bylaw for final adoption at the end of the month.

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Don Quixote Note: You will note the reference to Kamloops Police Reserve that recognizes the budgetary differences and isolates these into a Police Reserve from where the money is then drawn to lower the tax rate. This recognizes the source of the Reserves that will be used in a proper and open manner. If they want to put money into social housing or a traffic circle then the money is requested and voted on in open transparent vote for all the taxpayers and media to see.

Contrast that to Vernon who failed to put their 2007 RCMP savings of $787,463 into the existing reserve account and instead funded Middleton Way without an open and transparent vote to divert these funds from passing through this Reserve microscope.

Contrast the reserve in Kamloops that contains at least a $2.2 million surplus at 2008 year end with Vernon's that will have $61,607.

The claim of the Vernon financial staff that there is no Historical Council resolution that commands that monies flow through this account in this manner and for this purpose while technically correct until proved wrong is specious and diversionary. We have put that one to bed a long time ago. Council has operated since early 2005 on the premise that is how the RCMP budget is handled and a resolution of Council in 2005 modifies the 2006 handling to be more inclusive. The resolution listed below speaks to the intent and knowledge of the existence of a RCMP reserve policy that could be amended as necessary. You be the judge.

REGULAR OPEN MEETING OF COUNCIL, AUGUST 15, 2005
PRESENT: Acting Mayor Pat Cochrane Councillors: D. Hall, B. Beardsell, D. O’Keefe, P. Nicol
(J. MacGillivray, Absent)
Staff: M. Bailey, Acting Chief Administrative Officer L. Gous, Gen. Mgr., Community Services (9:01 am) P. Bridal, Deputy City Clerk (9:01 am)
RESERVING OF ANNUAL UPSPENT POLICING BUDGET (1700 01)
Report dated August 3, 2005 from Mr. Bernd Fehrmann, Manager Finance.
Moved by Councillor Nicol, seconded by Councillor Beardsell: THAT Council approves, for the 2006 Budget year, the amount set aside in reserve be the entire difference between the total policing budget and the actual costs incurred. AND FURTHER, that the fine revenue received from the province be set aside to meet additional policing costs.
CARRIED.