I may be on a political hiatus, but I’m still paying attention.
Last month city council finalized the 2022 budget with a 5.66-per-cent increase on residential taxpayers and slightly more on businesses. I’m not writing to debate the appropriateness of these tax increases. I was at the table for eight budgets and fully understand how difficult a balancing act it is each year.
In the last five to six years, council and staff made significant changes to the budgeting process and worked very hard to make it more transparent. All of my ex-colleagues sitting around the table campaigned on and ascribe to the tenets of communicating with the public in a straightforward way. I respect them for that and their hard work.
That’s why it came as a big disappointment and surprise to learn that council was only able to hit its advertised 5.66-per-cent tax increase by offloading some expenses from its budget to the regional district. The regional district, at the request of city council, will now create a new tax for the sole purpose of raising funds only from Castlegar property owners to make up the the amount (and more) they removed from the city budget in the first place.
By my rough estimates, this could represent a further residential increase of 2 per cent+ depending on how it is calculated. The regional district will collect those taxes from you, then hand that money back to the city for its use. Yes, this is all permitted by law, but why not just let us know?
All communication out of the city has pointed to a 5.66-per-cent increase without any mention of a new tax to come. A tax that the city council asked for and knew about during budget deliberations. In the city’s own open house power point presentation there is no mention of it, nor do we see it in official city communication except obscurely in the agenda of the last few meetings and a short discussion before its approval last week.
Now, I understand some of the politics of why it happened and it’s unfortunate. However, the most upfront solution would have been to just simply communicate to the public that a further increase was coming from the regional district. Alternatively they could have re-opened the budget deliberations and folded those costs back into the city budget where they belong, contrary to the stretched reasoning given.
Taxes to grow our community and provide us with services are necessary and are not in dispute here. But, the 2022 tax increase isn’t just 5.66 per cent. I for one would like to know what that amount really is. I’m sure the rest of our residents and the recovering business community would like to know as as well.
Florio Vassilakakis
Castlegar, B.C.
newsroom@castlegarnews.com
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