Hospital taxes climbing 13.8 per cent

By Jennifer Smith - Vernon Morning Star Published: December 07, 2012 1:00 AM
With the new tower at Vernon Jubilee Hospital up and running (minus two floors), regional taxpayers are on the hook to start paying off the debt.  Residents within the North Okanagan/Columbia Shuswap Regional Hospital District can expect a 13.8 per cent increase on their 2013 taxes. “That translates to $10 an average household,” said NOCSRHD director Doug Dirk of the increase that is mainly due to the debt coming on board with the new Polson tower at VJH. “There will probably be a 10 per cent plus increase every year as we go along for the next little while.” The anticipated increases over the next several years will be due to the continued debt payments for the tower as well as the expected completion of the two shelled-in floors. “The general consensus was everybody (board members) was OK with $10 for the benefit,” said Dirk. The regional hospital board is also throwing its support behind the completion of both of the shelled-in floors and operating rooms in the tower. The Ministry of Health will decide at a later date an option for completion and when to proceed.
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 Don Quixote Note
Last year the Vernon Hospital  Residential tax rate was .2445/1000. 
Average property of $333,676 value was taxed 81.62 for Regional Hospital Taxes. (2012)
Taxes for 2013 at the announced rate increase of 13.8% should be a $11.26 increase to $92.88