Council gave third reading to the city’s 2017-21 Financial Plan without saying a word on Tuesday, putting it one vote away from adoption.
The financial plan includes a six per cent tax increase on residential properties and a four per cent increase on business and industrial properties this year.
The budget includes $22.6 million in general spending, plus another $1.6 million for water, and $1.1 million for sewer. The city plans on spending $9 million on capital projects, including the Big Eddy Water upgrades, the Illecillewaet water pipe crossing, the Front & Wales sewer lift station, and the Thomas Brook water & sewer extension.
The city received only three letters in response to the budget. Miriam Manley criticized the extra spending on police and fire rescue services. Steve Bailey criticized the six per cent tax increase.
Former councillor Gary Starling, a frequent critic of this council, called for the budget to be rejected.
“Department heads should be asked to scale down capital expenditures and find savings. Come back with a budget that is more consistent with the cost of living and is more balanced,” he wrote.
Those comments were met with silence from the four members present at Tuesday’s council meeting — Linda Nixon, Aaron Orlando, Trevor English and Scott Duke. Mayor Mark McKee and coun. Gary Sulz were attending a meeting of the Southern Interior Local Government Association while it is not know why coun. Connie Brothers was absent.
Council also voted to set the tax rates for 2017. Residential property owners will pay $4.4302 per $1,000 in assessment value in city taxes, plus another $1.0659 in debt, library, hospital and regional district taxes.
Businesses will pay a tax rate of $18.6463 per $1,000 in assessment to the city and $3.5839 per $1,000 to other agencies. For major industrial, the rates are $35.431 and $5.9504, and for light industrial the rates are $32.8410 and $5.6797, respectively.
The school tax rate has not yet been set by the province.
Home owners will pay $405 for water, $270 for sewer (plus a frontage fee of $1.60 per foot) and $115 for garbage.
