2012 Tax Rates City of Vernon

• Tax Rates - 28Kb

City To Pay For 'Download'

107.5 KISSFM Wednesday, 16 May 2012 10:05 
We've heard lots about the province downloading costs onto municipalities, but how about a city doing it to a business group? That's what Vernon councillor Mary-Jo O'Keefe feels has happened with downtown cleaning costs which the city transferred to the Downtown Vernon Association a few years ago. She says the costs have gone up, but the city's grant has remained the same. "I think it's almost a form of downloading to get the DVA to hold the contract and do our beautification, and then we don't keep up with the ongoing costs." O'Keefe got support for her concern from councillor Catherine Lord. "I agree. The contract is increasing and we're not coming up, so now it's coming out of the DVA," said Lord. Council passed a motion to get the finance committee to look at finding an extra $1,787 in the budget to compensate the association.

Tax gap with Kelowna & Coldstream narrowed in 2012

 These are the tax increases for the average Vernon Residential Property. (2011 ASSESSMENT $340,976 vs. 2012 ASSESSMENT of $333,676.)

Tables on left are taken from the calculators for Vernon, Coldstream (calculators on right side of blog)  & Kelowna ( online calculator at kelowna.ca/propertytax.)

The Total Tax for 2012 on the identically valued property are :

• Coldstream  $1,983.60  ( 2011 - $1,927.49 )
• Vernon         $2,178.92   ( 2011- $2,152.37 )
• Kelowna       $2,130.82   ( 2011- $2,102.29 )

Caveat: The School Taxes are estimated for 2012 and there may be a slight change for Vernon & Coldstream. Kelowna's school tax is finalized.

Final budget increase pegged at 1.12%

by Wayne Moore - Castanet May 4, 2012 / 5:00 am

Kelowna Mayor Walter Gray didn't think it was possible for his council to adopt, in essence, a zero increase budget. In the end, he was right. While council adopted a 0.11 per cent budget increase during preliminary budget discussions January 17, the actual figure will come out slightly north of 1 per cent.
Council will be asked to adopted the municipality's final budget Monday, which calls for taxpayers to absorb a 1.12% tax increase. Much of the additional increase of 1.01% pertains to protective services. "This final budget increase follows the consultant's report of Police Resourcing and council's deliberations on the options to improve service levels," City Manager Ron Mattuissi says in the report prepared for council. "A strategy to improve protective service resources over the next four years by adding a 1 per cent tax increase each year will provide the necessary support to an important service delivery area. A difficult decision during the current economic climate, but a decision that will enhance the safety of the citizens of Kelowna." The final budget document includes an increase of general purpose net operating expenditures of $1,649,000. Excluding the transfer of taxes to other governments, there are final budget expenditure requests of $1,466,000. The final budget also includes an increase of $704,000 in new construction taxation revenues from the value estimated at the time the provisional budget was adopted.

Spall Tax Hike Drops From 12 to 4%

Written by Peter McIntyre 107.5 KISSFM  Tuesday, 01 May 2012 14:36
  A tax hike that started at 12 percent has been narrowed down to four by Spallumcheen council. The increase is needed as the township has to start paying for policing with its population going over five-thousand in the latest census.  Mayor Janice Brown says no services will be cut, and grants will be sought for certain projects. She tells Kiss FM, "We've managed to go item by item and find some savings. We we're being very panicked at the  beginning (of the budget process), not knowing where we could cut. We're just finding ways to get things to qualify under gas taxes and other grants, where we can double up and save money, and lower our expectations a little bit I guess." Brown says they will know more about the increase's impact on homeowners once the bylaw goes before council for adoption next Monday.

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: April 23, 2012 12:00 PM

Vernon’s tax burden will be more than anticipated. Council recently approved a 1.7 per cent tax increase but it was determined Monday that only refers to the overall hike in the city’s tax requisition. The actual impact on the average home — assessed at $333,676 — will be 4.06 per cent in 2012. “I’m quite concerned about this,” said Coun. Bob Spiers. “I am not voting for 4.06 per cent on the average house.” The actual impact will vary based on an individual property’s assessment. While other municipalities provide details of a tax increase for an average property, city staff did not compile those details based on the direction of previous councils. Mayor Rob Sawatzky admits the city needs to take steps to ensure transparency. “Confusion serves no one well,” he said, adding some residents may believe their taxes are just going up 1.7 per cent. That is also an issue for Coun. Brian Quiring. “We’re not being clear with the citizens as to what the impact will be,” he said. “To come out now with this, doesn’t look good.” The 2012 budget will not be reopened but a special meeting will be held April 30 at 1 p.m. to discuss tax ratios for residential, commercial and industrial classifications. “We will be reviewing the mechanism of how the 1.7 per cent is raised among taxpayers,” said Sawatzky, adding that the goal is to ease the burden on residential taxpayers while not placing significant pressure on their industrial/commercial counterparts. The 2012 budget must be adopted by May 15.

Lumby budget approved 

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: April 20, 2012 1:00 AM

Lumby politicians can cross the financial plan off their list. Council gave final adoption to the 2012 budget Monday. “We spent so much time on the budget and there was a lot of work done on it,” said Coun. Jo Anne Fisher. The budget includes a 2.82 per cent tax hike, which means an extra $19.42 this year for a home assessed at $233,921. “Staff did a great job with the financial plan,” said Mayor Kevin Acton. “They found money in some places and they were able to tighten things up compared to last year.” The village will place $25,000 per year into reserves for infrastructure such as road upgrades. Fisher, Nick Hodge and Randal Ostafichuk were just elected in November and this was the first time they had been involved in developing a budget. “Being a new councillor, this was a big undertaking for me,” said Fisher, who gives credit to finance director Ken Klassen for explaining the process and answering questions.
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 Enderby budget fails to draw a crowd
By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: April 20, 2012 1:00 AM
There doesn’t appear to be much interest in Enderby’s latest financial plan. No one showed up during the public input session on the 2012 budget Monday. “Our staff did an excellent job in finding savings within operations,” said Mayor Howie Cyr. “They searched out things we can do more efficiently and we can still move forward and do some street repairs.”The 2012 budget calls for a 1.4 per cent tax increase.

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: April 15, 2012 1:00 AM

Vernon’s new budget is almost written in stone.  Council has given three readings to the 2012 financial plan and final approval is expected in about two weeks. The budget calls for a 1.7 per cent tax increase. “Because the economy still hasn’t picked up, we’re trying to keep taxes low but there is infrastructure that needs to be done,” said Coun. Catherine Lord. No one attended a recent public input session on the budget and Lord says she has received little feedback about the financial plan. “If we had a six per cent tax increase, we would have heard more but because we’re keeping things low, people are likely saying, ‘We have to live with it.’”

Police Contract Approved

With few options before it, the City of Vernon has accepted a new police contract. The 20-year contract was hammered out between the provincial and federal governments and it ensures the RCMP will continue to provide services. “There’s always a concern about financing but we have to sign the contract,” said Coun. Bob Spiers, adding there is little room for the city to oppose the deal. Some municipal leaders across B.C. have expressed concern that the contract includes retroactive wage increases for some police positions. “It wasn’t exactly known but B.C.’s attorney general has announced some credits that will possibly offset costs,” said Spiers.

Concerts Get Cash

Music will continue to be heard throughout downtown Vernon this summer. The city has provided an $8,000 grant to the Downtown Vernon Association for the Civic Sounds and Street Sounds free public concerts. However, Coun. Mary-Jo O’Keefe wonders if there is more the city could be doing to help draw people downtown. “I’d like to know where we stand compared to other communities,” she said. City staff will determine what other municipalities in the region spend on public concerts.

Climbing costs lead to Coldstream tax hike

By Jennifer Smith - Vernon Morning Star Published: April 13, 2012 1:00 AM

Coldstream residents will be handing over an extra $57 to the tax man this year. A tax hike of 6.59 per cent is set for 2012 and is expected to be adopted at Coldstream council’s April 23 meeting. For the average home in Coldstream ($447,000), the total municipal tax amount is $975. The rate hike includes the 1.34 per cent increase for the borrowing of funds for the new mechanic shop. Some of the factors that have led to the increase include reduced revenues, a legal fee contingency, new RCMP contract,  increased transit costs, additional net operating costs, interest for the mechanic shop borrowing funds, a boost to the machinery and equipment reserve fund, transferring funds to a drainage reserve and dollars for the pavement management program. Taxes are due July 3, 2012.

Recycling costs increase

The cost of keeping recyclables from the landfill is going up. North Okanagan residents currently pay $17.30 per year for the Blue Bag Recycling program. “This fee was established in 2002 and bas not changed since 2002,” said Trevor Seibel, Coldstream’s director of financial administration, in a report.
With a new three-year contract, with Aldon Water Systems, and annual fee will increase to $19.55 for 2012. “Although this is a $2.25 annual increase, it must be noted that there has not been an increase in the fee for this service in nearly 10 years,” said Seibel. Fees will also be increased for 2013 and 2014 to $19.94 and $20.33 respectively.

Region clicks into new website

North Okanagan residents have new and improved information at their fingertips. The Regional District of North Okanagan has launched a new website at www.rdno.ca. “It’s a significant improvement,” said Doug Dirk, RDNO director from Coldstream. The new site aims to better provide information to residents on boil water advisories, mapping, regional services and more.

Regional District of North Okanagan building inspection undergoes review

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: March 23, 2012 1:00 AM

The future of regional building inspection services will be scrutinized further. The Regional District of North Okanagan board will use its committee structure to consider the building inspection department’s activities and whether changes possibly need to be made to building permit fees. “We want to see if there are any savings to be achieved,” said director Howie Cyr. “We want to gain an understanding of how it works.” The most contentious issue the committee will consider is whether using general taxation as a revenue source in 2012 will continue next year. The board recently approved $150,000 in taxation to support the building inspection function, which has seen building permit revenue decline during the recession. However, four jurisdictions opposed the move and they have threatened to withdraw from the service. “The 5-4 vote was not a win and there’s a lot of work to be done,” said Rob Smailes, general manager of planning, who supports reviewing the function. The review of the service delivery model has support from Shirley  Fowler, who voted against taxation this year. “This is an opportunity to work together and see where the concerns are,” she said.

Lumby taxes increasing

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: March 18, 2012 1:00 AM

Tax dollars are being pumped into ailing infrastructure in Lumby.  The village’s preliminary 2012 budget calls for a 2.82 per cent tax increase, with most of that money going towards reserves for roads and other projects. “We want to put money away to fix Shuswap Avenue,” said Mayor Kevin Acton. “Instead of recapping (pavement), all of the infrastructure underneath needs to be replaced.” The village is proposing to place $25,000 per year into reserves for infrastructure. This would have translated into a 3.3 per cent tax increase if other savings had not been found in the budget. The Village estimates it needs about $100,000 annually to maintain its roads. “Currently, we are budgeting about $57,000,” said Ken Klassen, director of finance. “The cost of the Shuswap Avenue project is about $150,000 to resurface the road.” Coun. Jo Anne Fisher hopes residents will understand the process council has decided to pursue. “I don’t like the idea of passing a tax increase on to the public but they should know that we’re improving infrastructure and putting money into reserves,” she said. “It’s not something we can avoid so it’s prudent to put money aside. We’re planning now so we’re not caught unaware in the future.” Acton insists that if reserves aren’t built up gradually, significant tax increases may be needed in the future as emergency situations arise. “We’re using small increases to get the big jobs done,” he said. The impact of a 2.82 tax increase on a home assessed at $233,921 will be an extra $19.42 in 2012.

Vernon politicians lower tax increase

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: March 12, 2012 4:00 PM

Vernon residents received an unexpected surprise Monday.  Council unanimously voted to decrease the 2012 tax increase from two to 1.7 per cent after receiving an update on revenue the city receives from the province such as traffic fines.  "Our economy is still facing challenges and we're looking at what we can do for our citizens," said Coun. Catherine Lord.  There is about $310,000 available in provincial funding, with $80,000 to $90,000 going towards lowering taxes and the rest being put aside for a new RCMP detachment in the future.  Coun. Bob Spiers says the city had to reduce taxes because of other financial pressures impacting residents like water rates. "We've got a heck of a lot of people who will feel a pinch," he said. While lowering the tax hike was unanimous, some elected officials expressed   some reluctance because there are other demands on the city, such as improved pedestrian safety at Okanagan Landing and Myriad roads. "I want to make sure we're providing a level of service and if there are safety concerns, we need to address them," said Coun. Mary-Jo O'Keefe.

Vernon Budget Open House and Public Input Monday at 4:30

AGENDA PUBLIC INPUT
MONDAY, MARCH 12, 2012, at COUNCIL CHAMBERS CITY HALL, 3400 – 30TH STREET
IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING A PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE TO BE HELD IN COUNCIL CHAMBERS FROM 4:30 PM UNTIL 5:30 PM

1.    MAYOR ROB SAWATZKY will call the meeting to order and advise that the purpose of the Public Input is to provide the public an opportunity for input on the following:
a) “City of Vernon 2012 Financial Plan Bylaw Number 5364, 2012” – a bylaw to adopt the “Financial Plan” for the Years 2012-2016.

• Agenda Index 

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Under the provisions of the Local Government Act, the municipality must have a financial plan that is adopted annually, by bylaw, before May 15th, which is the date that the annual property tax bylaw must be adopted. The planning period is five years, covering the current year plus the next four years.

Council must undertake a process of public consultation regarding the proposed financial plan before it is adopted. This is normally done in the early part of the year by way of a public meeting. Notice of the meeting is placed in the local papers.

• 2012-2016 Financial Plan - 64.60MB  This is the original working budget presented to council. Updates and changes not yet updated to reflect the present tax increase proposed of 2%.  

Positive audit anticipated in Armstrong

By Roger Knox - Vernon Morning Star Published: March 02, 2012 1:00 AM

Financially speaking, the City of Armstrong is a sound corporation.  Chief financial officer Terry Martens presented Armstrong’s finance and administration committee with the 2011 financial results.“Our audit is winding down and we anticipate a clean bill of health,” said Coun. John Trainor, chairperson of the finance committee. The city’s general, water and sewer funds will all carry surpluses into 2012. There was a $155,000 surplus in the general fund with revenues in 2011 on target. Expenses were at 93.1 per cent of the budget.  Not counting grants and transfers from reserves, water revenue was on course, and a surplus of slightly more than $42,000 was obtained. Sewer revenue was on target at just shy of 96 per cent, but expenses were under budget. A surplus of more than $181,000 will be carried forward to this year. In his report to council, Martens explained the city has three statutory reserve funds that all saw activity in 2011. The municipal reserve balance increased from $2.7 million at the beginning of the year to $3.6 million. “This reserve is broken down into 11 different sub-reserves, each for a specific purpose,” wrote Martens. The capital reserve increased from $1,092,876 to $1,127,521. It decreased by just more than a $1 million on Jan. 3, 2012 to fund the completed Heaton Place real estate deal. The special reserve increased from $391,000 to $396,000, thanks to interest. “These are very good results from what could have been a difficult 2011,” said Trainor.arm

BEYOND THE HEADLINES: Dollars and sense

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: February 22, 2012 1:00 AM
It’s difficult to find anyone who likes bureaucracy, and particularly paying for it. And it’s that sentiment that’s likely fuelling some hostility towards the City of Vernon spending $600,000 on staff offices once the current library building is vacant. Presently, staff can be found at city hall, an old building on the Coldstream Hotel property and in rental space on 30th Street. Substantial inefficiencies have surfaced because staff are constantly walking between buildings for meetings. The sharing of information and development of relationships doesn’t flow as easily — e-mail will never replace face-to-face — and the public is left wondering exactly where they should go if they have a concern. By using the library building, the rental office and the Coldstream Hotel site will be abandoned. Not only will that put 61 staff with similar duties together, they will also be within a stone’s throw of city hall for various interactions. There will also be a saving of $60,853 a year by not renting from the private sector. You may wonder why all civic workers can’t be accommodated in city hall. Quite simply, Vernon grew. There were just 11,453 people on the census roll when city hall was brand new in the mid-1960s. Now, there is a population of 38,150 and Vernon has expanded to include Okanagan Landing, Middleton Mountain, Predator Ridge and the Foothills. Business activities were once limited to downtown but now there is a vast commercial district developing in the north end. Technical standards have changed meaning expertise on engineering and planning is needed. The public is also more demanding in terms of services (who was calling for transit in the 1960s?). It’s been suggested that renovations to the library building should be put on hold until a core review of city services is conducted. Obviously some positions may be deemed superfluous, but there won’t be enough to empty out dozens of offices. That isn’t realistic given the engine needed to keep a city the size of Vernon running. The other suggestion making the rounds is the facility could be turned over to the public. But there’s already sufficient venues for concerts, art shows and kids’ activities (the Performing Arts Centre, the recreation complex auditorium, the Boys and Girls Club, the arts centre, service clubs and hotel ballrooms are among those that immediately come to mind). Of course there’s also been talk of turning the soon-to-be-vacant library over the to adjacent Greater Vernon Museum, which is bursting at the seams. However, what the museum and the community deserves is a purpose-built structure that has the climate and light controls necessary to protect valuable artifacts while also meeting national guidelines for visiting exhibits. Retrofitting the library into a museum would be nothing  more than a Band-Aid and that truly would be a waste of money. It’s natural for taxpayers to want fiscal leadership from elected officials and civil servants, particularly during challenging economic times. But by rationalizing physical resources, creating internal efficiencies and eliminating rental costs, a $600,000 investment makes complete sense.

Coldstream eyes 6.59 per cent tax hike

By Jennifer Smith - Vernon Morning Star Published: February 13, 2012 9:00 PM

Coldstream taxpayers could be on the hook for a 6.59 per cent tax increase for 2012. The proposed tax hike, which includes a 1.34 per cent increase for the mechanics shop, was recommended at Tuesday night's council meeting. For the average home in Coldstream ($447,000), the increase works out to an additional $39 on their municipal taxes. That works out to an increase of approximately $3.25 per month. The total budget will go to a public open house Wednesday, Feb. 29 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the municipal office. See Wednesday's issue of The Morning Star for full story.

Steps taken to increase public awareness on budget at Vernon city hall

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: February 13, 2012  10:00 AM
Vernonites will be able to access detailed information on how their money is spent.  City council voted Monday to hold an open house so residents can look at the financial statements for the proposed 2012 budget, which calls for a two per cent tax increase. “We’re pretty close to where we’re going with the budget) and now it needs to be presented to people,” said Coun. Catherine Lord.  “People can come look at the charts and visualize what’s happening. It’s an opportunity to talk to us.” The city is only legislated to hold a public hearing to garner input on the budget, and that will be held in conjunction with the open house. “People can see what’s contained in the budget and tell us if we got it right or wrong,” said Coun. Bob Spiers, who wants a lower tax rate than two per cent. A date hasn’t been set for the open house but administration has suggested late March because of staff holidays and other time constraints. That possibility isn’t sitting well with Lord. “I want it as soon as possible so everything is still fresh in council’s minds,” she said of the budget process. One council member is clarifying her role in developing the 2012 financial plan. Coun. Juliette Cunningham is concerned a recent Morning Star article may have suggested her opposition to a two per cent tax increase meant she favoured hiking some city fees. “I spoke against raising parking fees for downtown workers and I have never supported higher fees for criminal record checks,” she said. Raising fees had been discussed as a possible way of increasing revenue, but no action was taken by council.

Library On Track For Spring Opening

Written by Peter McIntyre Monday,  107.5 KISSFM 13 February 2012 02:38

Photo: Library design

It looks like taxpayers will not have to shell out extra money for potential cost overruns on the new Vernon library. The project manager for the 12.6 million dollar structure on 30th Avenue even hints at some possible savings. John Hiebert tells Kiss FM, "We're still right on budget. We don't believe there's any risk at this juncture of going over that, and the savings, once they've been confirmed, will be announced by the client." Hiebert, who works for Task Management, will also leave it up to the owner, the Okanagan Regional Library, to announce the opening date. All he will say is that the construction will be done in April or May. "We are still being a little ambivalent about that because we've got to work with the owner in terms of their own move in, in terms of transfer of books from the old library to the new one." He says up to 50 trades people are still working on the inside and outside of the building. The two story facility has been under construction since the fall of 2010, and will be more than double the size of the current library.

Budget divides Vernon council

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: February 12, 2012 1:00 AM

Vernon’s budget is close to being finalized but divisions exist over taxation.  Council voted 4-2 Thursday in favour of a 2012 financial plan, which includes a two per cent tax increase. “Considering all of the work council and staff has done, it’s gone relatively well,” said Mayor Rob Sawatzky, adding that the process initially began with an eight per cent hike to cover inflation, retroactive pay for firefighters and pavement management. Staffing levels remain untouched but other expenditures have been delayed or chopped. “You don’t do all of the capital works you would like to do,” said Sawatzky. Councillors Bob Spiers and Juliette Cunningham voted against the budget, which must still be adopted. “I felt we still had more work to do in getting it down,” said Spiers of the proposed tax rate. “There are always things (services) to be examined and if they should be provided. In terms of revenue, we could have looked at increasing some fees to bring taxes down further.” Coun. Brian Quiring raised his hand in favour of two per cent, but he would have preferred a three to 3.5 per cent increase instead. “I’d like to see it higher because we’re bleeding our reserves,” he said. “We have issues of infrastructure we need to address. We need enough money to preserve capital.” Quiring blasted his colleagues that wanted to hike fees for criminal record checks and parking. “We don’t want to raise taxes $25 but they’re willing to charge a person who works downtown $300 more a year for parking? It doesn’t make sense,” he said.

Council Cuts Tax Hike To 2% Written by Peter McIntyre Friday, 10 February 2012 15:40

Written by Peter McIntyre Friday, 10 February 2012 15:40 
Vernon council has managed to get this year's budget increase down to two percent, a big drop from the earlier eight percent.  Mayor Rob Sawatzky says most of the cuts came from putting some infrastructure projects on hold. "Some of our capital works projects, we tried to balance that.You try to make sure you're not deferring capital works and maintenance that is going to cost you more money later on, and you hoped you've made wise decisions that way." Sawatzky says the two percent hike would add 20 dollars to the average homeowner's tax bill. He says council has had to deal with an eight percent jump in fixed costs for firefighters retroactive pay (1%), a pavement management plan (5%), and cost of living hikes (about 2%). "So that's right around eight percent that you're handed right off the start, so I think council and staff did good work to get it that level." Sawatzky says the budget is expected to be approved by council after another public input session, expected to be held in the next couple weeks. He says the next priority for council is hiring a new chief administrative officer. The application period closed at the end of January and Sawatzky says they had a lot of interest, but wasn't sure of the exact number.