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THURSDAY
Thursday, April 5, 2012 X Volume 25 No. 28
Kamloops, B.C., Canada X 30 cents at Newsstands
THIS WEEK
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City property-tax hike set at 1.92% That’s an extra $31 for average household By Andrea Klassen STAFF REPORTER andrea@kamloopsthisweek.com
Kamloops homeowners can expect to see an increase of more than $30 on their property-tax bills this year, after city council agreed to set the 2012 tax hike at 1.92 per cent. The new rate means an increase of $31.43 for a home with an assessed value of $344,000, the city’s average. While final vote on the new rate was unanimous, several councillors argued the increase should be about 2.5 per cent, as this year’s budget drew more than $3 million from last year’s surplus and city reserves to keep the increase down. Councillors Tina Lange and Donovan Cavers argued a larger hike would have also given the city a cushion for some major projects
DONOVAN CAVERS: Argued unsuccessfully for larger property-tax hike.
in 2013. “We’re doing really well this year and I think we have the opportunity to put a bit more away,” Cavers said. The rest of council didn’t agree. “I’m really comfortable,” Coun. Arjun Singh said. “I wanted two, two-and-a-half and I didn’t think I’d get it.” Councillors cut more than $200,000 in supplementary items from the budget during their final deliberations, nixing a $100,000 parking
study and boat launch upgrades for Thompson Drive and Pioneer Park, and deferring an $80,000 roof repair for the Kamloops Boys and Girls Club building on McArthur Island. But, it was transit that dominated the talks, as councillors debated route upgrades that would extend bus service by another 8,200 hours. While councillors Cavers and Nancy Bepple were in favour of picking up all the hours offered to the city by BC Transit, others argued the expansion would be too much, too fast. “It’s doesn’t mean hundreds of people are suddenly going to start taking the bus,” Lange said. “This is a slow process and I believe we need to put those hours on slowly.” X See TRANSIT A2
Fee hikes add to wallet drain DAYLIGHT ARREST IN DOWNTOWN KAMLOOPS Kamloops Mounties arrest a man in downtown Kamloops on Tuesday, April 3, after being called to help firefighters and paramedics deal with a man brandishing a knife. According to police, the call concerned a man who had used crack cocaine the night before and had suffered a seizure on Tuesday. After emergency crews arrived, the man became agitated and grabbed a knife before being subdued. No charges will be laid. Dave Eagles/KTW
Though the average Kamloops homeowner will see about $30 added to their property-tax bill, other rate hikes more than double new taxpayer charges in 2012. In addition to the property-tax hike of 1.92 per cent, Kamloops city council also agreed earlier in the bud-
get process to raise charges for water and sewer services and recycling and garbage collection. The fee hikes will see the average homeowner pay about $26 more for water, $12 more for sewer service and $16 more for garbage and recycling than they paid in 2011.
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