On Monday, April 25, Kelowna City Council will consider a 3.94 per cent tax demand as part of the 2022 Financial Plan.
A 3.94 per cent increase in municipal taxes would translate to an additional $86.47 per year, or $7.20 a month, for the City portion on an average residential property tax bill in Kelowna.
The total 2022 proposed tax demand is $167.1 million, which represents approximately one-quarter of the City’s operational revenues. The majority of City funding comes from other sources such as reserves and surplus, fees and charges, and grants.
"As we look towards post-pandemic recovery, we remain fiscally responsible to ensure Kelowna continues to be well positioned for a strong and sustainable future,” said City Manager Doug Gilchrist. “We will continue to balance competing priorities while delivering quality services and strategically investing in infrastructure that best serves our community, which will be home to 45,000 more people over the next 20 years.”
The 2022 Financial Plan is aligned with the 2019–2022 council priorities and includes:
- Continued investment in safety with the addition of 17 public safety related positions, including 11 new RCMP officers for a proposed $2.7 million investment once annualized in 2024
- Enhancing the City’s cultural vibrancy and community spaces through the Capital News Centre expansion, bringing the Kelowna Community Theatre box office in-house, and advancing the design phase for the new Parkinson Recreation Centre (named the Kelowna Community Campus) and the Island Stage in Waterfront Park
- Investing $12.3 million in parkland acquisition
- Enhancing green spaces including flood protection along Mill Creek Linear Park (funded through a $22-million federal grant), construction of Pandosy Waterfront Park at Abbott Street and Cedar Avenue, and improvements to City Park Promenade
- Advancing the City’s energy and environmental initiatives that address climate change with low-carbon initiatives, including continued investment in active transportation corridors, alternative modes of transportation, additional vehicle charging stations and GHG emissions software
- Ongoing transportation investments including road renewals, new bus stops and alternate forms of transportation
The proposed final budget tax demand is 0.3% per cent higher than the preliminary budget proposed demand of 3.64 per cent approved by Kelowna City Council in December 2021. The increase is primarily attributed to final, versus estimated, RCMP contract rates and inflationary pressures.
“The 2022 Financial Plan prioritizes investments today as a foundation towards building a strong future for our rapidly growing community,” said Kevin Hughes, Manager, Corporate Financial Planning. “Managing inflationary and supply chain challenges that are being felt by the community at large, as well as operationally by the City, will also be a key focus over the coming year.”
In the 2020 Citizen Survey, 79 per cent of residents shared they receive good value for their municipal tax dollars and the majority, 91 per cent, say they are satisfied with the overall level and quality of services provided by the City.
Council will review the staff recommendations at the Monday, April 25 Council meeting. To listen live, visit kelowna.ca/council. For more information about the City budget and to view the 2022 Financial Plan, visit kelowna.ca/budget.
Property taxes are due July 4 and there is a legislated, non-discretionary penalty of 10 per cent for late payments. Property owners are reminded that the Homeowner Grant program is provided through the Province of BC. To apply for a retroactive or new grant visit www.gov.bc.ca/homeownergrant.
