City of Vernon budget adopted

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: February 25, 2013 4:00 PM

The final step for the City of Vernon is sending out tax notices. Council adopted the 2013 budget Monday, including a 3.9 per cent tax increase. "We had a lot of different issues to deal with," said Coun. Catherine Lord of the process leading to adoption. Through the financial plan, there were some service reductions while user fees have climbed. Of the overall tax increase, 1.9 per cent is designated for Vernon’s future infrastructure needs. Lone opposition to the budget came from Coun. Bob Spiers. Spiers says the tax increase is too high and infrastructure money is going to what he calls "cosmetic projects" such as the Polson Greenway on 29th Street. "I'm tired of banging my head against the wall," he said of raising concerns that don't get support from his colleagues. The budget's impact on an average home is an additional  $45 in taxes.
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Don Quixote Note: The next step will be the actual tax rates bylaw that will establish the mill rate for the various classes and the taxes that will appear on your tax bill. Discussions may ensue when these calculations made after the final BC Property assessment rolls are finalized as to the tax ratios between the business and residential. Any possible savings (or increases) for this year realized through the Core Services Review due in early April will not affect this years budgeted tax increase.

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 Councillor Feels Budget Was Rushed

Written by Peter McIntyre  107.5 KISSFM Tuesday, 26 February 2013 06:01 
Vernon council's financial watchdog wonders what the big rush was. Council gave its new budget final approval Monday, even though they had until May to get it done. Councillor Bob Spiers feels they could have waited for more input. "We did not allow more public input, and we did not want to wait around until the core service review was done (at the end of March) to see if there was any more savings," Spiers told Kiss FM. Spiers was the lone councillor to vote against the financial blueprint, saying the increase was too high. "The final rate of 3.9 includes a 2 percent general tax increase, much above the cost of living which I always use as the starting point." Spiers is also upset a 1.9% increase for infrastructure includes what he calls "cosmetic projects" like the next phases of the Polson Greenway (1 million dollars) and downtown revitalization (2 million). Mayor Rob Sawatzky says the process wasn't rushed, just more organized. "In the past, we had the most long, drawn out, unfocused process that I had heard of at any municipality, so I think with an experienced CEO (Will Pearce), we've improved our process dramatically." Sawatzky notes the budget process started in September and included three long days of input from staff, the public and council in January. Councillor Catherine Lord says they had to take a close look at some projects, but overall, she's pleased with the end result. The new budget carries a 3.9 percent tax hike, or an extra $45 for the average home.