Taxpayers face 4.4% hike

Photo: Contributed

The City of Kelowna will need an additional $7.5 million in tax revenue to operate the city in 2017.

That's part of the document city council will be presented with when it debates the budget next Thursday.

In 2016, it cost $120 million to run the city. That is anticipated to increase to $127.5 million.

Overall, it means a provisional tax increase of 4.4 per cent. Broken down, that's a 1.56 per cent increase to pay for the new RCMP building, 0.38 per cent for the fire department's strategic plan and 2.46 per cent general increase.

Civic operations like parks, public works and utilities accounts for 30.61 per cent of the overall budget, police services 30.34 per cent and fire 17.17 per cent.

The city will bring in revenues of $349.7 million, 36 per cent of which is from taxes. Fees and charges will account for 31 per cent with reserves and surpluses making up another 17 per cent.

A 4.4 per cent tax hike would mean an additional $82 in taxes for the owner of an average home, pegged at $558,370. That works out to an average tax bill of about $1,942.81.

In 2016, Kelowna residents paid some of the lowest municipal taxes in the province according to figures released by the city.

Only Kamloops, Langley, Surrey and Chilliwack paid less among cities with a population of 75,000 or more.

City council will do a line-by-line review of the provisional budget next Thursday in council chambers.

Castanet will provide live audio coverage of budget deliberations.