MyCity is your city online

By Jeremy Deutsch - Kamloops This Week Published: June 10, 2010 3:00 PM
Nobody enjoys paying their taxes. However, while residents still have to pay their property-tax bills through their bank, or at city hall, it’s now easier to view account information. The city has expanded its MyCity project to include an online tax service. Residents who sign up to MyCity will be able to access their tax-account details, monitor account balances and view levy and assessment information from current and previous years. The program doesn’t require any additional software for the user.All they need is a computer and Internet connection.

Tanya Garost, the city’s revenue and taxation manager, said the new online service will save staff time in responding to questions from the public. She noted the city receives many requests every year from people looking for prior tax notices. The new service has already proved popular, with 1,200 residents signing up so far this year. “It’s a huge amount,” Garost said. The program also allows residents to claim their homeowner grants. However, that service has already been available for a number of years.

Another 9,000 households, or nearly half of those eligible, have signed up to claim their homeowner grants online. The MyCity project was originally launched for the development and engineering department to help developers track permit applications online. The service has expanded to include business and dog licences. The city sent out 34,000 tax notices this year and will collect $79 million in revenue. Residents have until July 2 to pay their property-tax bills.