Photo: Contributed

For most of the 11 years since incorporation, West Kelowna taxpayers have been used to a yearly tax increase of about three per cent.

That was a lot less than the five per cent recommended through the governance process.

That bubble could be about to burst.

West Kelowna's chief financial officer Warren Everton has presented city council with a preliminary budget asking for an additional 4.8 per cent over the 2019 tax demand.

"The 4.8 would allow us to take in all the supplementals, do the transfer to reserves we are hoping to do, and leave a little bit of money so council could reduce taxes or put more into reserves, or revisit a project they didn't initially fund," said Everton.

"It's a little bit of a sign of the times. I've reported to council a few times that reserves are a little lower than I had hoped them to be. There are so many projects on the horizon, and we're still migrating out of being a rural area into being a city."

Everton reminded taxpayers the city still doesn't have the number of roads, sidewalks, drainage and infrastructure a city of West Kelowna's size should have.

Council began the process of going through the numbers on Tuesday. That discussion will continue next Monday.

Once council gives the first reading, which could happen Monday, Everton says he will then be free to take the document to the people.

Last year, the city held one large open house to present the figure to the masses.

He says he plans to hold a few smaller gatherings in different neighbourhoods around the city to give more people a chance to give their feedback in a more intimate setting.

The proposed increase is not one that's written in stone. Council still has the final say.