Sicamous residents will be facing a 2.75 per cent property tax increase with district council having completed a budget focused on the municipality living within its means.
Council went public with a completed draft of the 2013 budget last week, and first reading will occur at their regular meeting tonight (Wednesday) at 5 p.m. in council chambers.
Mayor Darrell Trouton says council began their budget deliberations facing an 8.9 property tax increase. Regarding the 2.75 per cent, Trouton says this figure takes into account losses relating to dropping assessed property values, so that what residents are actually facing is a 1.35 per cent increase over last year.
“We can change the tax rates as property values drop, but we can’t recover the assessed values from BC Assessment,” says Trouton.
Council also adjusted the tax rate for businesses, dropping it from 2.45 to 2.22. Trouton said council thought the 2.45 was unfair for business.
“Residences would have had a lower tax rate and businesses would have had a lot higher tax rate, and we tried to even it out as much as possible without crippling businesses in Sicamous,” he said.
Trouton said the budget process was difficult, and that council picked it apart thoroughly. He says the end result is a document that reflects local government attempting to live within its means.
“Governments need to start operating within their means and be as efficient as possible,” said Trouton. “And so that’s what we’re striving for.”
However, the mayor also described the budget as laying a foundation for the district’s future. This includes staffing changes and training to make municipal operations more efficient, including the creation of new staff positions in finance and public works to help deal with growing demand related to ongoing infrastructure expansion and improvements.
“Our water treatment facility, for example, we need staff trained in that area to move forward to make sure that we’re getting a competent system and it’s done right,” said Trouton. “You don’t get the system and say, ‘OK, how do we run it?’ We have an opportunity now to move people into that area and work with the system as it’s being developed. So, I think it’s a good investment at this time.”
Some areas of the budget were beyond council’s control, such as the sewer expansion which is already $750,000 over budget – covered through additional debt borrowing. Trouton says this project was already in motion before the council came onboard, “and it’s pretty hard in the eighth or ninth inning to change the game.”
Council did dissect grants in aid (see below), typically doling out less than what was requested. Trouton noted these grants are not intended to subsidize non-profits or businesses.
“We felt that a lot of these are ongoing… I don’t believe that it’s up to the municipality to take taxpayers dollars and give it to non-profit organizations,” said Trouton. “If those taxpayers want to donate to non-profit organizations, or get involved and help in different ways, that’s a lot better than taking taxpayers’ money and saying there you go…”
Council did agree to take ownership of the curling rink. Trouton says this decision was about giving back to community.
“I think in today’s realities, people expect the district to take on recreation as a part of the facilities within the district,” he said. “So those are the parts we do have to look at… the health and well-being side of it.”
2013 Grants in aid:
• Eagle Valley Grooming Society – $8,000 (requested $20,000)
• Shuswap Community Church – $5,000 ($9,600)
• Community Banner Project – $500 ($500)
• Eagle Valley Community Support Society – $2,000 (4,000)
• Sicamous and District Seniors Centre Society – $2,000 ($4,600)
• Shuswap Community Foundation – $250 ($1,000)
• Shuswap Lifeboat Society – $3,000 ($5,000)
• Eagle Valley Arts Council – $3,000 ($3,500)
• Eagle Valley Seniors Meals Society – $1,000 ($2,000)
• Sicamous and District Museum and Historical Society – $2,000 ($11,000)