Kamloops council begins 2023 budget discussions with proposed 5.6 per cent tax increase

KAMLOOPS — Budget discussions for 2023 are beginning at Kamloops City Hall Tuesday morning (Nov. 22) with the new council getting a crash course in inflationary impacts.

Corporate Services Director Kathy Humphrey says the costs of materials required to build, run and repair the city have jumped dramatically.

“Fertilizer has increased, which is causing problems in parks,” Humphrey told council at a Committee of the Whole meeting Tuesday. “Road-marking paint — now that we can actually get it — is significantly higher as well. We’ve increased these budgets to try to reflect the same service levels that we need to provide but at the higher prices that we’re seeing.”

Wages and benefits have also risen, meaning more money is required to pay RCMP officers, firefighters, unionized city employees and managers.