The City of Vernon has released a short informational video that explains how property taxes are allocated to provide services to the residents of Vernon.
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2017 Comparison Coldstream vs Vernon residential calculator

Simply plug in your land and improvements assessment in the 2 Yellow Slots and Calculator will show taxes for both a Coldstream and a Vernon Property of same Value !

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1EeCm_oV5thmwiXGYPDKaC9ugw2ViU8qdyoKoXkKgZio/edit#gid=0
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2017 In my case I pay $507 more in Vernon than an  identical valued property in Coldstream.  ($451.81 was the amount  in 2016).
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Coldstream 2017 rates at  https://coldstream.civicweb.net/FileStorage/55B846E93B6F46929BD106E0EDAA3FC4-Bylaw%201695%20(Final%20Adoption).pdf

Animated Video Explains Vernon Taxes

Vernon, BC, Canada / 1075 KISS FM Pete McIntyre May 01, 2017 03:14 pm
The City of Vernon has released a short informational video that explains how the tax rates are determined for Vernon taxpayers. The three-minute animated video, developed by Sproing Creative in Vernon, is the first in a series from the City designed to inform residents about complex subjects including taxation, capital works and more.You can watch the new video on the City’s website.
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Vernon 2017 Tax estimator: https://www.vernon.ca/homes-building/taxes-grants/property-taxes/estimator

Don Quixote 2017 Residential Tax Calculator: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19KhX-bOjzWEeWFNyE3mXyHOEGCKq8-hDNydG4OodTEU/edit?usp=sharing

City Adjusts Tax Rate

Vernon, BC, Canada / 1075 KISS FM Pete McIntyre April 11, 2017 06:00 pm
Vernon council has voted to adjust this year’s residential tax rates to ease the burden on businesses. Councillor Brian Quiring feels local merchants need the support.“You have utility costs going up, water rates are going up, everything is going up. Yes, we need to help businesses out. Anything we can do to help them will give them a break,” Quiring tells Kiss FM. Council’s move will shift $100,000 of total tax burden from business to residential properties. The option was one of three council considered, with option 3 passing by a 4-2 margin. (Mayor Akbal Mund was not present at Monday’s meeting) Of the $37.8 million of taxes necessary for a balanced budget, $23.1 million will be derived from residential property owners, and $11.8 million from business property owners. City taxes will increase by 3.58 per cent this year, or an extra $49 for the average residential property. The increase works out to 1.9 per cent for capital projects in Vernon—including road, sewer and facility improvements—and 1.68 per cent for operating expenses. “Vernon currently has 17,581 residential properties and 1,377 business properties. In 2016, the average residential property paid $1,252 in general municipal taxes; for 2017 that amount will be $1,301, a difference of $49. The business property tax increase will average 3.49 per cent,” says City communications officer Tanya Laing Gahr.

Tax rates are calculated by multiplying the property assessment (provided by BC Assessment) by the established mill rate as part of the balanced budget equation. For both business and residential property owners, the mill rate will be reduced in 2017. In 2016, the business mill rate was 9.9847; in 2017, the mill rate will be 9.8522. In 2016, the residential mill rate was 3.6716, and for 2017 it will be 3.6103.
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https://www.vernon.ca/activities-events/news-events/news-archive/vernon-council-adjusts-2017-property-tax-rates

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Tax rates favour business 
RICHARD ROLKE Tue Apr 11th, 2017 2:00pm

Vernon businesses are getting a tax break. On Monday, city council adjusted the general residential tax rates for 2017 to reduce the burden on business properties. “It’s hard for businesses. We need to help businesses,” said Coun. Brian Quiring of why he backed this option. This decision will reduce $100,000 of total tax burden from business to residential properties. Of the $37.8 million of taxes necessary for the budget, $23.1 million will be derived from residential property owners, and $11.8 million from business property owners. Overall, total property taxes will increase by an average of 3.58 per cent: 1.9 per cent for infrastructure and 1.68 per cent for operating expenses. In 2016, the average residential property paid $1,252 in general municipal taxes. For 2017, that amount will be $1,301, a difference of $49.The business property tax increase will average 3.49 per cent. Tax rates are calculated by multiplying the property assessment (provided by BC Assessment) by the established mill rate as part of the budget equation. Opposition came from Councillors Bob Spiers and Juliette Cunningham, who didn’t want a change in the allocation of the general municipal tax levy. “I hate to see big swings either way and this is a more moderate way to approach it,” said Cunningham. Under the option preferred by Spiers and Cunningham, the residential mill rate (per $1,000 assessed value) would have been 3.5946 (2016— 3.6716). The business class mill rate would have been 9.9359 (2016 — 9.9847).

RCMP Costs in Armstrong Going Up Significantly

Vernon, BC, Canada / 107.5 KISS FM Ron Manz February 15, 2017 11:24 am
Taxpayers in Armstrong need to brace themselves for a significant increase in taxes this year to pay for RCMP policing costs. Armstrong’s population has gone over 5-thousand which means they no longer qualify for a rural policing designation for about 50 per cent of the costs. Mayor Chris Pieper says negotiations on the first contract started yesterday (Wednesday) and the expense of policing will be higher now. “Seventy per cent of our actual costs are born by the municipality plus some administration and some office costs, and that will take place by April 1st.” Under a rural designation last year, Armstrong paid $240-thousand, so Pieper says this will mean a major impact to taxpayers despite a contingency fund being started about six years ago to prepare for this moment. “We have a few bucks put away to lessen the initial impact but this year for sure there will be a significant impact to the cost of RCMP services to the City of Armstrong.” “We know it’s going to be significant because when you go from our rural police tax from a fifty percent to a seventy per cent cost plus administration and office space, those are significant numbers to a small municipality.”

Coldstream farm tax ratio

District of Coldstream Finance Committee Meeting Agenda for February 6, 2017 (excerpt below re farm tax ratio)
https://coldstream.civicweb.net/document/37249    (p.41)
The current resolution made by Council is that the tax multiplier for farm property be changed to 2.4:1 to be phased in·over three years beginning with the 2016 taxation year. If Council continues to
phase the reduction of the tax multiplier, the 2017 farm class rate will be reduced to 3.1:1.
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As can be seen in the appendix, the tax rate multiplier in Coldstream continues to be considerably higher in comparison to the provincial recommended tax multiplier of 1:1 for farm class properties within a regional district, as well as other communities who have agriculture as a sizeable component of the community with the exception of the City of Armstrong.

Click to Enlarge 

North Okanagan homeowners to see jump in property values this year --- Assessment Values Online at BC Assessment e-value.

FIND PROPERTY INFORMATION ON PROPERTY IN BC
https://evaluebc.bcassessment.ca/

January 03, 2017 - 9:49 AM Charlotte Helston INFONEWS.CA
NORTH OKANAGAN - Homeowners in the North Okanagan can expect to see an increase in their property values this year.  assessment notices arrive this week, and the majority of residential homeowners in the North Okanagan and Shuswap will see a bump in their home values, according to B.C. Assessment. The assessments, which reflect market value as of July 1, 2016, show the biggest jump in the North Okanagan and Shuswap regions is in Enderby. The value of a single family, residential home rose roughly eight per cent to an average of $262,300 in 2017, up from $242,300 in 2016.

Vernon was close behind, with single family homes rising to $444,100, up 7.6 per cent from $412,800 in 2016.

The community with the highest home prices in the area is Coldstream, where the average single family home is valued at $581,300 this year, up nearly seven per cent compared to $543,600 in 2016.  Salmon Arm, Armstrong, Spallumcheen, Lumby and Sicamous all saw increases between roughly three and seven per cent.  Overall, the Okanagan’s total assessments increased to $98 billion this year up from $89 billion in 2016. A total of almost $1.7 billion of the region’s updated assessments is from new construction, subdivisions and rezoning of properties. “Property owners can find a lot of information on our website including answers to many assessment-related questions, but those who feel that their property assessment does not reflect market value as of July 1, 2016 or see incorrect information on their notice, should contact BC Assessment as indicated on their notice as soon as possible in January,” deputy assessor Tracy Wall says in a media release.

If you are still concerned about your assessment after speaking to an appraiser, you can submit a notice of complaint by Jan. 31 for an independent review. Property owners can contact BC Assessment toll-free at 1-866-valueBC (1-866-825-8322) or online.

Other North Okanagan and Shuswap communities:

Armstrong: up 5.9 per cent to $330,500 this year, from $312,000 in 2016
Salmon Arm: up 7.2 per cent to $375,900 this year, from $350,500 in 2016
Spallumcheen: up 3.6 per cent to $374.000 this year, from $360,900 in 2016
Sicamous: up 6.4 per cent to $280,800 this year, from $265,500 in 2016.

O'Keefe issues plea for funding

by Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star posted May 11, 2016 at 1:00 AM— updated May 11, 2016 at 5:46 AM
It may not be easy to have funding cuts reversed for O’Keefe Ranch. On Monday, representatives from the historic site asked Vernon council to back off a reduction in taxpayer grants set to begin in 2017. “I see no reason to change the direction of council,” said Coun. Bob Spiers after the meeting. “The subsidy should not continue.” Coun. Juliette Cunningham is also reluctant to say whether the city may change direction. “We have to look at their finances first before we make a decision on the ranch.” The ranch, which is owned by the city, currently receives $150,000 a year from taxpayers. However, it was decided in 2013 that the grant would be reduced to $100,000 in 2017, $50,000 in 2018 and $10,000 in 2019. City staff say $10,000 was selected because it’s outlined in a contract between the city and the O’Keefe Ranch Society. On Monday, ranch officials urged council to maintain the status quo. “We’d like to see it retained at the level it is now,” said Glen Taylor, general manager. In 2015, 26,474 people passed through the gate, a 21 per cent increase, while more events have been added to the schedule. And while the city has pushed the ranch to be more self-sufficient financially, the events have led the B.C. Arts Council to trim its grant from $42,000 to $34,000. “They want us to be more focused on the heritage of the ranch,” said Taylor, adding that the corn maze and other activities don’t infringe on the heritage footprint of the site. “If we have 50 acres, why not use it and generate extra cash?” About $224,834 has been spent on infrastructure in the last five years, and volunteers provide about 8,350 hours of labour annually. “We have great community support,” said Taylor.
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EDITORIAL: No easy answers with O'Keefe
posted May 11, 2016 at 1:00 AM
There’s absolutely no question that O’Keefe Ranch is important to the North Okanagan. Historically, it was the first non-indigenous settlement in the region and it was because of Cornelius O’Keefe’s success, that others made their way here. And for the modern era, the ranch not only plays a key role preserving our past, but it is a major tourism destination. But, however, valuable the ranch is from a social perspective, many Vernon residents may question the ongoing subsidy of $150,000 a year. Vernon council in 2013 attempted to address those public concerns by establishing a plan to wean the ranch off of the subsidy — decreasing to $100,000 in 2017, $50,000 in 2018 and $10,000 in 2019. On Monday, O’Keefe representatives urged the current crop of politicians to reverse the cuts and retain the $150,000. The argument is that the ranch deserves full funding because it has experienced record attendance and new events are bolstering revenue. The challenge, though, for city hall is it has numerous financial pressures, including needing to repair roads and sewer lines. The other issue is that while the city owns the ranch, it is in Spallumcheen and is a regional asset. Why are Vernon residents the only ones footing the bill? The next step is for Vernon council to look at the ranch’s books to see whether the request to scrap the subsidy cuts has merit. And a final decision won’t be easy as the city must balance the needs of the ranch with fiscal accountability to taxpayers.
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2014 Registered charity information return for OKEEFE RANCH & INTERIOR HERITAGE SOCIETY

Airport Decision Delayed

Posted on 2/22/2016 by Pete McIntyre 107.5 KISSFM
Possible improvements to the Vernon airport remain stuck on the tarmac. City council has deferred a decision on a possible runway extension, until city staff can take another look at the price tag. Councillor Catherine Lord feels the current 5.2 million dollar cost can be pared down. "The original estimate was 2.4 million.The second estimate came in at 5.2 million, so it probably might land somewhere in between, but I have no idea where it's going to land." Lord isn't sure how council will vote on the extension, but she says if it isn't done now, it will never get done due to changing regulations. "It's one of those things that we only get a shot at one time," says Lord. Mayor Akbal Mund says the current estimate for an extension is too pricey. "When you get a five million dollar price tag, you've got to look at that and go 'Is that going to be best for our community?' Probably not, so let's look at the real numbers and find out what they are. Then we can make a decision that will be based on logic," says Mund. At their February 8th meeting, staff presented council with several options ranging from about $1million in improvements to buildings at the low end, and up to an 11 million dollar project which would include the runway extension and an expansion.

Vernon Airport Plan on Agenda

Posted on 2/22/2016 by Pete McIntyre 107.5 KISSFM
Vernon council will make a decision today on future plans for the city's airport.Mayor Akbal Mund says the development options range in cost from around one million dollars, to 11 million which were briefly discussed by council last month."People got it wrong when the last council meeting that everybody decided that oh "why is council going ahead with a $5-million dollar expansion?" We didn't decide to do that. We decided to discuss it and have a further look at that."Mund says the options range from upgrading the existing facilities, to extending the runway for 5.2 million dollars."Option 1 and 2 are below the two million dollar mark, but option 2-B was the one with the runway extension which obviously meant work to divert the creek and so riparian issues and that's what drives up the cost to $5-million dollars." Some council members support spending 5.2 million dollars to extend the runway which would allow more types of planes to land, and spur economic development. Mund supports at least upgrading some of the facilities, but he's not sure which way council could go."I think you need to have something there. Some of the buildings need some help. No matter what options there is, I'm sure all the council members have had enough time to go through everything and gather all the information they needed."Others argue, it's not needed with Kelowna's airport so close by, or too expensive for taxpayers.
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Options on the table

by Kate Bouey - CASTANET Feb 6, 2016 / 1:00 pm

City council has released reams of formerly classified information on development options for Vernon Regional Airport. The various options range in projected costs from $986,400 to $11,063,300. Council has yet to make any decisions. The analysis includes aviation demand forecasts, development cost projections and employment impact estimates. The draft airport master plan is scheduled for further discussion at council's Feb. 22 meeting. The newly-released documents can be found on the City of Vernon website. Meanwhile, in a letter to Castanet, one Okanagan Landing resident called for information on the environmental impact of a longer air strip and the possibility of larger aircraft. “Any expansion will be done at the cost of taxpayers and it will seal the fate of Okanagan Landing.” wrote Janice Misutka. City staff have not recommended going ahead with an expansion of the runway but some council members have asked for further information. Staff warned that an expansion would have to be approved soon, ahead of new Transport Canada regulations that could nix such development in the future. “It should raise red flags to everyone,” said Misutka. “Why would you fast track any project when you know there are changes coming?”
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 Declassified Presentation from In-Camera Council Workshop, February 4, 2016.

Runway plan gets clearance

by Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star posted Jan 27, 2016 at 1:00 AM— updated Jan 27, 2016 at 6:00 AM
Support for extending the runway at Vernon Regional Airport is taking flight. While city staff had recommended not extending the runway, a majority of council voted Monday to further investigate lengthening the runway from 3,500 to 4,000 feet at a cost of $7.2 million. “If we don’t do the runway extension and lose some business, what will the impact be?” said Coun. Catherine Lord of local corporations that use the airport. “Our airport is an economic driver and creates a lot of jobs. It (extension) could be a large driver.” Coun. Scott Anderson is concerned not having a sufficient runway will prevent new companies from moving to Vernon. “Every community cries for high-tech and green jobs and we have to put that infrastructure in place,” he said. However, staff has previously stated that only marginal increases in economic activity would come from a longer runway and the current length meets the needs of 97 per cent of aircraft movements. Another issue that has been raised is noise. “There are a lot of houses and development there,” said Coun. Dalvir Nahal. As part of the process, a committee will review the option of extending the runway, including potential economic benefits. Discussions will be held with corporations that use the airport. “We haven’t explored this as aggressively as we need to,” said Coun. Juliette Cunningham. Transport Canada has dictated that any runway extension must occur by September 2017. Coun. Bob Spiers opposed endorsing the $7.2 million project and possibly an ultimate $11 million extension because of the burden on taxpayers. “If there is such a great economic benefit, who is it going to and why don’t they pay for it?” he said. “I’m happy with the airport we have now.”
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Don Quixote Note:
Latest Cost Link of various options presented to Council:
The recommended option that was put forward in the report is at the far right ($5,892,000) which is a hybrid between Option 2 and the  addition of the Triangle land acquisition and a few other items taken from option 3.

I stated that I could support Option ($2,056,000) which essentially are life cycle maintenance items and adding some runway expansion and apron improvements.

From P.124 of report: (taxation possibility)
'Excluding the runway rehabilitation costs and the land acquisition costs, funding the remaining amount of $2,430,600 over 20 years would require an additional $121,530 per year, amounting to an annual tax increase of 0.357% (based on the current assessment roll). However, this assumes that all of the land acquisition costs can be accommodated within the Land Reserve. Should this not be the case, then a higher tax increase would be required.'

If the 11,603,500 (Full runway extension option) was ultimately approved and had to be solely funded from taxation based on the same ratio above over 20 years then the tax would be required to be 11,603,300/2,430,600x$121,350 =$579,305 per year (1.7042%). On the same page of reports are other possible funding sources that could reduce the future tax burden.

https://www.vernon.ca/sites/default/files/docs/meetings/agendas/160125_regular.pdf (p.456)

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KISSFM Poll Results as at 4:30 PM
Would you like to see the runway extended at the Vernon Airport to encourage more economic activity?
Yes 38.3%
No 48.6%
Need more information 13.2%

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Kelowna Airport Master Plan
http://apps.kelowna.ca/CityPage/Docs/PDFs/Kelowna%20International%20Airport/2025%20Airport%20Master%20Plan.pdf