The City of Castlegar is hosting an open house and requesting feedback on its 2025 - 2029 Financial Plan.
The public drop-in open house will be held on Feb. 11 from 5-7 p.m. at the Community Forum (445-13th Ave.) with a staff presentation beginning at 5:30 p.m.. It will also be broadcast via Zoom. Login details can be found at castlegar.ca/councilmeetings.
The proposed 2025 budget includes a 7.27 per cent tax increase for residential properties and a 7.54 per cent increase for business and light industrial properties.
Based on an average house being assessed at $520,000, the increase will cost the average property owner about $99 per year or $8.24 per month. The average annual City of Castlegar portion of this year's tax bill will be approximately $1,460.
When looking at your annual property tax bill, it is important to note that the city collects taxes on behalf of other levels of government such as the Regional District of Central Kootenay and the province.
“Developing this year’s draft budget was challenging as we focused on what the city needs in response to growing pressure on service levels, “ says Chris Barlow, Chief Administrative Officer. “We worked to balance essential investments in services and critical infrastructure with minimizing financial impacts on residents already facing rising costs of living.”
A statement from the city singles out these highlights from this year's budget:
• Upgrading the South Sewage Treatment Plant to enhance plant performance and increase treatment capacity.
• Developing a Liquid Waste Management Plan to provide 20-year guidance on the city’s wastewater and stormwater systems.
• Continuing the phased-in Infrastructure Investment Levy to address the city’s historical infrastructure deficit, which provides a revenue stream to fund capital projects related to roads, fleet, equipment, parks and facilities.
• Developing a Parks Master Plan to guide the development and improvement of green spaces.
• Launching a community survey to gather input on municipal service levels and community priorities.
• Continuing work with Transport Canada to improve flight reliability at the West Kootenay Regional Airport.
• Assessing community needs for childcare spaces and creating a childcare plan.
• Launching a new program for homeowners looking to add a smaller, secondary housing, such as a secondary suite, basement suite, carriage house, or garden suite on the same lot as their main dwelling.
• Collaborating on primary care and housing projects to deliver modern medical and clinical spaces and new non-market housing units.
• Meeting new expectations from higher levels of government, including housing needs, energy efficiency, wildfire mitigation, and emergency preparedness
Videos of council's budget deliberations can be found at castlegar.ca/councilmeetings.
The proposed 2025 – 2029 Financial Plan can be found at castlegar.ca/budget.
Feedback and opinions can be sent via email to budget@castlegar.ca by Feb. 13.
