Jason Luciw - Kelowna Capital News Published: February 11, 2010 6:00 PM
Ongoing debate over a controversial parkland acquisition strategy has stalled the Central Okanagan Regional District’s budget deliberations. At present, the regional district’s proposed 2010 budget would increase tax rates by between seven and nine per cent in the member municipalities of Kelowna, West Kelowna, Lake Country and Peachland. The increases would range from 18 to 21 per cent in rural areas like Joe Rich, Ellison and the North Westside. However, those figures may yet be reduced if the regional district agrees to claw back a parkland acquisition strategy this year, as Kelowna Mayor Sharon Shepherd has proposed. “This year is a tough year. As (Kelowna) council we really cut back in our requests for budget,” said Shepherd. The City of Kelowna increased its municipal taxes by 1.6 per cent.
Regional district taxes are charged in addition to municipal levies, however, for services like the emergency 911 centre, dog control, noxious weed control, air quality monitoring, Crime Stoppers and the Okanagan Basin Water Board. Shepherd has suggested that the regional district pare back the parks acquisition program by one third this year in part to keep West Kelowna from withdrawing from it. “It delays our acquisition program but then all of our partners would still be at the table, I would hope,” the Kelowna mayor continued. “I’m not in favour of them opting out, but I don’t want to force them into a program that is too rich for them, at least for this year.” However, regional parks manager Murray Kopp noted that paring back the parkland acquisition strategy would reduce the regional district’s purchasing power this year and its ability to continue negotiations and close on a number of properties it has already expressed interest in. West Kelowna Mayor Doug Findlater also noted that he personally would like to see his municipality withdraw from the program entirely. “I appreciate the flexibility,” said Findlater. “But this is way down our priority list. We did not even put any land acquisition funding of our own in our (municipal) budget because of other priorities.” Findlater noted that ageing infrastructure such as roads and the need to expand sewers were more pressing in his young municipality right now than acquiring land for parks.
The regional district moved the idea of clawing back the parks program behind closed doors so it can deliberate the impact the move would have on specific property negotiations. A report back to the regional board is expected in time for further debate on Feb. 22. Meantime, the regional district’s proposed tax increases stand at 8.2 per cent in the City of Kelowna, or another $6.71 on a home assessed at $456,000. In West Kelowna the 7.1 per cent increase would tack $9.81 on to the regional district portion of the tax bill. In Peachland, the hike is 7.6 per cent or another $7.91 and in Lake Country it’s a 9.4 per cent increase or a further $9.49. In the Central Okanagan West Rural area, which includes Trepanier and the North Westside, the increase would be 18 per cent or $66.52 to account for large increases in community specific services like the library, planning, building inspection and fire control. Increases in similar services would lead to a 20.7 per cent tax increase in the Central Okanagan East area, which includes Joe Rich and Ellison, adding $72.99 to the average bill. The Central Okanagan Regional District will hold a public input session on March 26 before passing the budget, according to administrator Harold Reay.
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