THURSDAY
K A M L O O P S
THIS WEEK Thursday, November 28, 2013 X Volume 26 No. 95 www.kamloopsthisweek.com X 30 cents at Newsstands
Preliminary tax hike sits at $48 By Andrea Klassen STAFF REPORTER andrea@kamloopsthisweek.com
On this date seven years ago, Henry Vandenberghe left his home to catch a morning bus to work. Between his house and the bus stop, he was attacked. The 61-year-old’s severely beaten body was found near the intersection of Mackenzie Avenue and King Street. He died a day later in hospital. Vandenberghe’s murder remains unsolved.
STORY, PAGE A10
After a 2013 budget that many on Kamloops city council described as one of the toughest they’ve faced, early talks on the 2014 tax rate have a more upbeat feel. Headed into the budget process, the average homeowner in the city is looking at a $48 increase come tax time. Of that, $35 comes from a forecasted 1.99 per cent property-tax hike. The rest will come from a five per cent increase in sewer fees, which are rising to help cover the cost of the city’s new sewagetreatment plant, which goes online next year. Water and garbage rates are staying static for the year. “If we think back a year ago, we were all concerned about this year’s budget in terms of moving forward,” Mayor Peter Milobar said. “There were some pretty serious issues hitting us.” The city is facing decreased revenue from its investments and slower than expected growth headed into 2014. It is also expecting to loose some tax revenue due to appeals to B.C. Assessment by some of Kamloops’ larger taxpayers. But, Milobar said some of the city’s costs aren’t coming in as high as council had feared, including the budget increase for the Kamloops RCMP. “I think we’re starting to see some benefits of the new contract in terms of them starting to look at things a little differently in how they budget things and we’ve seen some of those costs get a little better under control,” Milobar said. “I think across the board we’re
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There’s New Gold in that thar annexation How much difference could New Gold’s New Afton mine make to Kamloops’ balance sheet? Milobar suggests it’s a hefty sum. During council’s budget discussions, the mayor said preliminary calculations suggest that, if the city can extend its boundaries west to bring the mine into city limits, it would dramatically bring down the tax rate for other major industries in the city. Class-four ratepayers pay close to $80 per $1,000 of assessed value in taxes. With the addition of New Afton and no other changes, Milobar said the rate would decrease to about $52 per $1,000. The city is lobbying the province to approve the boundary change, though it’s not clear how soon a decision will be made.
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starting to see that happen. “I know that transit’s trying to tighten up their numbers. “I think everyone’s starting to realize that all these different pots are running out of wriggle room.” There is, however, still plenty of time for the tax-hike number to shift before the city finalizes it in April. The current number doesn’t factor in supplementary requests from various departments, which can include waterparks, extra streetlights and other community concerns. Nor does it take into account any surplus the city may have. There’s also the issue of classfour ratepayers — heavy industrial operations like Domtar — who want to see the city cut their taxes by about half during the next two years, which could leave residential or other types of properties paying more.
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