Citizen Bulletin Spring 2023

2023 DISTRICT OF LAKE COUNTRY

CITIZEN BULLETIN

MEET THE NEW LAKE COUNTRY COUNCIL

On Saturday October 15th, 2022 Lake Country residents elected representatives for Lake Country Council. The newly elected Council will now determine service levels for our roads, parks, water and wastewater systems, recreation, fire protection and police services plus more.

Council meeting dates, agendas, meeting minutes and live-stream of Council meetings, which can be watched live or after the meeting can be found at lakecountry.bc.ca/meetings

Mayor:

Blair

250-766-6670 (office) 250-766-1284 (home) ireland@lakecountry.bc.ca

Councillors:

236-338-1800 (cell) brett@lakecountry.bc.ca

403-461-1239 (cell) irvine@lakecountry.bc.ca

778-594-5154 (cell) lewis@lakecountry.bc.ca

250-808-5321 (cell) mckenzie@lakecountry.bc.ca

403-613-2334 (cell) patel@lakecountry.bc.ca

250-258-2711 (home) reed@lakecountry.bc.ca

Tricia Brett (Okanagan Centre)

Todd McKenzie (Oyama)

Ireland

Cara Reed (Carr’s Landing)

Bib Patel (Councillor At Large)

Michael Lewis (Councillor At Large)

Heather Irvine (Winfield)

2023 BUDGET

On March 7th Council adopted the five-year financial plan for Lake Country, which includes the 2023 budget. The 17.05% increase is made up of:

• RCMP service cost increase due to crossing 15,000 population threshold.

• Loss of fire contract with the City of Kelowna.

• Road maintenance contract increase.

• Inflationary, contractual and wage rate increases.

To put the increase into perspective, a 1% increase results in approximately a $20 annual increase for the average single-family home in Lake Country which BC Assessment has determined to be $1.086 Million.

Council thanks and appreciates the time residents took to participate in the 2023 budget process. Citizen engagement on the budget was done by providing comments and questions through Let’s Talk – Lake Country, the January 31st town hall in addition to direct conversations and emails to Council. Your opinion matters and Council takes all feedback into consideration.

Full budget details and breakdown of cost can be found at letstalk.lakecountry.bc.ca

How does the BC Assessment value impact my municipal tax assessment?

Earlier this year, BC Assessment released 2023 assessments throughout BC that state the value of properties as of July 2022. The average Lake Country single-family home is now valued at $1,086,000, representing a 9.5% increase from 2022. Property owners might be concerned that due to escalating property values, their municipal tax assessment will increase by the same percentage. This is a common misconception. The most important factor is not how much your assessed value has changed, but how your assessed value has changed relative to the average change for your property class within the District:

• If your property’s value change was Lower than the average change of 9.5% for the residential class, the impact will likely result in a property tax decrease from 2022*.

• If your property’s value change was Similar to the average change of 9.5% for the residential class, the impact will likely result in no change to your property tax from 2022*.

• If your property’s value change was Higher than the average change of 9.5% for the residential class, the impact will likely result in a property tax increase from 2022*.

*Prior to considering the 2023 proposed tax increase.

ONLINE PROPERTY TAX AND UTILITY INVOICES

Access your property tax and utility accounts online: The District of Lake Country has launched MyLakeCountry.ca online portal to provide citizens with 24/7 access to their property tax and utility billing information. More services will be added in the coming months.

Lake Country property owners and utility customers can now create a personal profile and sign up to:

• Access property tax and utility accounts 24/7.

• View property assessment.

• View invoices and transaction history.

• Say YES to subscribe for eBilling (paperless billing emailed right to your inbox!)

• Credit card payments can be processed for a fee of 2%. Add your property tax and utility account to your profile:

• To add a property tax account to your profile you will need the folio number and access code found on your 2022 Tax Notice.

• If you no longer have your notice, request a copy by email at propertytax@lakecountry.bc.ca by providing your address and the full names of the individual(s) registered as owners on the property.

• If you are new to Lake Country, you will be able to register for MyLakeCountry when you receive your 2023 tax notice in the mail, expected in late May or early June.

• To add a utility account to the profile, you will need the utility account number and access code found on your utility invoice.

• If you do not have your invoice, contact utilitybillings@lakecountry.bc.ca

Important 2023 Dates

Late May Sent: Property Tax Notices

Access your invoice online

(see page 7)

May to July 4 Apply for your Homeowner Grant online

(Note the District cannot apply or submit your application for the homeowner grant. Apply by July 4th to avoid a penalty gov.bc.ca/homeownergrant)

July Sent: Utility Invoices Second Quarter 2023

Access your invoice online

(see page 7)

July 4 Due: Property Tax Notice

(OPTIMAL: Pay online through your financial institution if you don’t already pay monthly. NOT OPTIMAL: Paying in person at Municipal Hall.)

August 15 Due: Utility Invoices Second Quarter 2023

October Sent: Utility Invoices Third Quarter 2023

November 15 Due: Utility Invoices Third Quarter 2023

December 31 Due: Deadline to apply for the current year homeowner grant

January 2024 Sent: Utility Invoices Fourth Quarter 2023

February 15 2024 Due: Utility Invoices Fourth Quarter 2023

Pop Up Recycling Depot Dates

May 27

June 24

July 22

August 26

September 23

10 am until 2 pm in the parking lot at the corner of Main Street and Hill Road. Drop off your glass bottles and jars, Styrofoam packaging, plastic bags and overwrap, other flexible plastic packaging, and small household electronics.

Know Your Property Lines

• Before starting any project you must know your property lines which are easily accessed on the GIS map at lakecountry.bc.ca or by calling 250-766-5650 and verified by a property survey.

• If you wish to undertake any work within the District Right-of-Way, you must apply before starting any construction activity.

• The permit required is called Permit to Construct in Right-of-Way and can be accessed online at lakecountry.bc.ca

• The permit is free and can potentially save property owners’ time and money if the work that has been done is stopped or needs to be removed.

Short-Term Vacation Rental

• All short-term vacation rentals must be in the property owner’s principal residence.

• Short-term rentals cannot be used for more than 30 consecutive days.

• Primary residence cannot have more than four sleeping units rented concurrently.

• Any type of recreational vehicle such as campers, trailers or motorhomes cannot be rented out unless the property is zoned for a campground.

• Short-term rentals must have a valid Lake Country business licence.

• Farm Gate Trail – buy fresh local fare by visiting one of the many farm gate stands in Lake Country. View the most up to date map of local farms online.

visitlakecountry.ca/farm-gate-trail

• Will be back again in 2023 – details on trees being offered and when to order and pickup will be available in June. Don’t miss out - subscribe to receive information sent directly to your inbox.

Reporting a Problem

Municipal staff are available to respond Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Bylaw Officers are available Monday to Sunday, 8:30 am to 6:00 pm, with extended hours from May to September.

You can report issues you observe online at lakecountry.bc.ca using the ‘I Want to > Report a Problem/Request Service’ feature or the Report a Problem popular link on the Living in Our Community tab; or by calling 250-766-5650. To report a Bylaw contravention, you can report the problem online or call 250-766-6673.

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