Castlegar Mayor Maria McFadden is urging residents to come and learn the reasoning behind this year’s proposed tax increases, saying they are driven by expectations of other levels of government.
“Its really important to understand there are huge departments that we’ve never had to deal with before. Emergency management, healthcare, housing, daycare.” said McFadden.
“These are all things, even when I started six years ago, we weren’t even thinking about because they’re not technically in local government’s realm, but now all of a sudden we are expected to do them and actually mandated to do it by a provincial and federal government.”
“I think it’s important not only that the public understands what we’re doing as a city in their day to day, but how other levels of government also impact that what we’re doing day to day.”
Castlegar’s draft budget calls for a residential property tax increase of 7.27 per cent, meaning about an extra $100 on the average residential bill and a 7.54 per cent increase for businesses, equating to an average hike of $350.
Mayor McFadden says while no one likes to see increases to their bill, council was able to keep the amount below last year’s projections, however, she understands the burden on local taxpayers.
“We don’t take any increase lightly. Council feels the burden of increases on our local taxpayers because we have to pay it too, we are just trying to do our best to be good stewards of what we have and falling within the regulations that we have to provide.”
The budget process continues with Council hosting an open house on February 11.
Budget details
The proposed 2025 budget reflects the City’s commitment to maintaining reliable services and core infrastructure while planning for the future of a growing community. It also accounts for increased responsibilities stemming from new provincial and federal requirements.
Budget highlights include:
- 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 valuable 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 home, 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
“Developing this year’s draft budget was challenging as we focused on what the City needs in response to growing pressure on service levels,” said 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.”
City of Castlegar | castlegar.ca Page 2 Residents can watch the recordings of Council’s 2025 Draft Budget deliberations at castlegar.ca/councilmeetings.
Share your thoughts at Council’s Open House
The City is hosting a public drop-in open house to share information and receive feedback on the proposed 2025 Budget.
Date: Tuesday, February 11
Time: 5 – 7 p.m.
In-person: Community Forum, 445-13th Ave.
Online via Zoom: Find login details at castlegar.ca/councilmeetings
Staff presentation will begin at 5:30 p.m.
Find the proposed 2025 – 2029 Financial Plan at castlegar.ca/budget and send your thoughts via email to [email protected] by February 13, 2025.
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