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Budget shows modest tax increase

District of Sicamous property taxe to increase by 1.48 per cent.
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Sicamous residents will see another small increase to their property taxes this year. Image credit: ccPixs.com

Sicamous property taxes are set to jump another 1.48 per cent for 2017.

With municipal budget adoptions required by May 15, Sicamous chief financial officer Kelly Bennett presented council with the district’s financial plan.

That report included a look at upcoming property taxes, with the rate set at 1.48 per cent increase over last year. The district estimates the increases to be around $19 per home.

“We’ve had a fairly low tax increase over the last five years,” she pointed out. “Since 2014…it hasn’t been over two per cent.”

The 1.48 per cent increase reflects tax dollars to be collected by and for the district. Residents’ tax bills also include taxes collected for the regional government (Columbia Shuswap Regional District), hospital, schools, police and other services.

Bennett said utility rates are not increasing and should average about $369 for water and $360 for sewer in metered usage. At those numbers, budgeted revenue from property taxes would be $4,259,223 and $1,993,607 from water and sewer.

The report went on to outline where the district is allocating those tax dollars, with just over $9 million budgeted for capital projects, with the majority of that going to the sewer system, followed by transportation, the water system, recreation and culture, protection services and general government.

Project highlights for 2017 include more than $3.5 million in wastewater treatment plant and infrastructure upgrades, with about 75 per cent of that funded by grants. Roads will be another big component, with $2.2 million invested in such projects as Shuswap Avenue (including sidewalks and underground utilities), Riverside and Kappel (waterline upgrades) and others.

Sicamous is also rolling out its new logo and branding, which ties into the new roundabout centrepiece, with that project completion expected by the end of May.

Council unanimously passed the first three readings of the financial plan, with final adoption of the bylaw scheduled for April 12, well before the provincial deadline.

The full document can be found online at www.sicamous.ca in the March 22 council agenda, and under bylaws after adoption.