(Image Credit: CFJC News)

By Sydney Chisholm

city budget

Kamloops council pares down supplemental budget, keeps tax increase below 10 per cent

Mar 5, 2024 | 6:00 PM

KAMLOOPS– Avoiding a double-digit increase for taxpayers meant taking the axe to the majority of the supplemental budget items on the table at Tuesday’s (Mar. 5) Committee of the Whole meeting.

“We had some concerns about how we’re spending money, obviously, and the timeliness of that being cognizant of the current tax rate,” said Councillor Stephen Karpuk.

A medical response unit for Kamloops Fire Rescue was the first item on the chopping block.

Councillor Dale Bass was all for it and voted in favour of the item. Bass however was in the minority, with the rest of council voting to reject the medical response unit and send it back to the committee level.

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“I understand counsel’s dilemma. Medical response is a responsibility of the province,” said KFR Chief Ken Uzeloc. “Obviously, I’ll be working with the committee on what we can do to help alleviate what is still a problem for us.”

Going into Tuesday’s meeting, staff had a provisional budget with a 9.45 per cent tax increase. Council approved only one supplemental item funded by taxation, landing the increase at 9.55 per cent.

“Obviously, residents of the city are going to be concerned about the amount and it’s not a positive number for them,” said the city’s Corporate Services Director, David Hallinan. “However, what we recognize is that the city is facing many of the similar inflationary challenges that all of us as citizens are facing. So on the average house, this comes out to about $239, roughly on the average house.”

Additional dollars for the city’s funding agreements, a capital increase for the drainage program and upgrades for the heritage house parking lot are the only supplemental items going to council for final approval.

“I find a little disappointment that we’re not that forward-thinking, but I have to go with my peers and what they they agreed to,” said Karpuk, “so our voices were saying we had a fulsome discussion. It’s not over yet, as you might say. We’ve got the budget to finalize.”

Council will return to the horseshoe March 12 to finalize these items, with the budget anticipated for later this spring.