MONDAY JANUARY 5, 2015
FIRE PREVENTION
PEOPLE
KIMBERLEY PRIZE WINNER
COURAGE HAS A BC FACE
Buying Selling Buying or Selling Call First Call Marilyn Marilyn First
See NEWS page 5
250-427-8700 250-427-8700
See LOCAL NEWS page 4
THE BULLETIN PROUDLY SERVING KIMBERLEY AND AREA SINCE 1932 | Vol. 83, Issue 02 | www.dailybulletin.ca
Four arrested in house party assault
Like Us TownsmanBulletin Follow Us
@kbulletin
1
$ 10 INCLUDES G.S.T.
Cranbrook RCMP busy on New Years Eve TOWNSMAN STAFF
The New Year kicked off with a bang for local RCMP members, who had their hands full throughout the evening as they responded to a number of calls from the serious to the humorous. The most serious was an incident up in the Park Royal neighbourhood at 2:45 a.m. where two groups of people were involved in a fight. RCMP responded and quickly learned that knives and pool cue balls were used as weapons. Four individuals suffered significant injuries such as slash wounds, knocked-out teeth and bite marks, however, all received medical attention and are not suffering from any life-threatening injuries. Four subjects were taken into custody without incident at the COURTESY KIMBERLEY ALPINE RESORT scene. Three were found in a vehi- The first baby born in 2015 at East Kootenay Regional is from Kimberley. That baby is little Mason Wright. Mason was born at 1:22 p.m. on Jan. 1, cle attempting to leave the area 2015 to parents Dave and Alyssa Wright of Kimberley. Mason weighed in at nine pounds, seven ounces. while the fourth was tracked by the police dog and found hiding in a shed. See ASSAULT, page 3
Freeze is on The pipes, the pipes are freezing C AROLYN GR ANT Bulletin Editor
With temperatures dropping, and the snow not very thick on the ground, the City of Kimberley is reporting an increase in the number of water lines freezing. As temperatures rise again, the frost will be forced even further into the ground, increasing the problem. See PIPES, page 4
Kimberley property values up
BC Assessment delivers 2015 notices C AROLYN GR ANT Bulletin Editor
BC Assessment has released their 2015 Property assessments for Kimberley and area, and with the exception of the Chapman Camp area where values fell slightly, most home values rose. “Most homes in Kimberley are worth slightly more in value compared to last year’s Assessment Roll,” said Rod Ravenstein, Kootenay Region Deputy Assessor. “Most home owners in the City of Kimberley will see modest increases depending on
their location. For example, a typical single family home in Kimberley that was previously assessed at $208,000 was valued at $210,000 in the summer of 2014.” The average price for a home is $248,000. By comparison, an average home in Cranbrook is worth $257,000, in Fernie, $423,000, and Invermere $343,000. Neighbourhood by neighbourhood, Kimberley property values look like this. A home in Townsite/ Lois Creek rose from an average of $194,000 in 2014 to $195,000 in 2015. In the City Centre, values rose from $137,000 to $150,000. In the ski hill
area, values rose from $427,000 to $467,000 (they had dropped between 2013 and 2014). In Blarchmont, an average home rose from $157,000 to $166,000. Marysville homes rose to $271,000 from $255,000, Chapman Camp dropped from $255,000 to $243,000 and Kimberley rural property values rose to $238,000 from $214,000. Property owners receiving their assessment will often assume that an increase in their property assessment automatically translates into an increase in their property tax bill. This is not necessarily the case, since the determination of local tax rates is ultimately based on the bud-
get requirements of the taxing authority, in this case the City of Kimberley, RDEK, School Board etc. It also depends on how close to the average your home price is. Assessed value is multiplied by Kimberley’s tax rate to determine the actual taxes paid. When establishing the market value for a particular property, BC Assessment considers each property’s unique characteristics. These are the same characteristics that a home purchaser would consider, including size, layout, shape, age, finish, quality, number of carports, garages, sundecks and condition of buildings. Services in the area, location, views and neigh-
bourhood may also influence a property’s market value. Market value assessment is widely considered to be the fairest system for distributing the property tax burden, according to BC Assessment. However, should you not agree with your property’s assessed value, you do have the ability to challenge it. “Property owners who feel that their property assessment does not reflect market value as of July 1, 2014, or see incorrect information on their notice, should contact BC Assessment as indicated on their notice as soon as possible in January,” said Ravenstein. See VALUES, page 3