A tax increase has been hammered out for Lake Country property owners.
Council approved a 2011 budget Tuesday that includes a 3.9 per cent tax hike. That translates into an additional $54 for the average home valued at $504,000.
“We’re cognizant of the slowdown in the economy and that many in our community are on fixed incomes but there are things that have to be done to provide services,” said Mayor James Baker.
“With a primarily residential tax base, the rate goes on the homeowner.”
Baker says many expenditures have been put off to future years, but some spending was unavoidable.
“Most of the increase went to the cost of living — two per cent,” he said.
“Another 1.9 per cent is going to be practises. We’re putting money into reserves and doing work on roads and sidewalks. We need to be prudent and put money away for when something does happen (with infrastructure).”
Council approved phase one of Lodge Road improvements for a total of $1.3 million, which will see the road rebuilt and a pedestrian pathway provided. There will also be pedestrian and safety improvements to Davidson Road and Lake Hill Drive, in the new Lakes subdivision.
The district will also continue to work on the $5 million Kalamalka Lake water quality project in Oyama, which is mostly funded by senior government.
The 2011 phase of this project will cost in excess of $1 million for the construction of booster pump. The district has spent $400,000 to date for this project.
Coun. Noreen Guenther believes council and staff were prudent with the 2011 financial plan.
“We were hacking. This was one of the most challenging budgets we had,” she said.
It will also cost more to turn on the tap in Lake Country.
Water rates will increase four per cent, or $19 per year, for non-metered users; four per cent, or $16 per year, for the metered base rate; and 2.7 per cent, or $2 per acre per year, for the irrigation rate for agricultural properties.
There will be no increases to sewer, garbage and recycling rates.
Council has until May to have the 2011 budget adopted but Baker believes the process could be completed as soon as possible.
