Wednesday November 18, 2015 www.saobserver.net $1.25 GST INCLUDED
Taxes on the rise Salmon Arm: City council approves increase of nearly three per cent. By Martha Wickett OBSERVER STAFF
EVAN BUHLER/OBSERVER
Eye on the puck The Silverbacks’ Angus Redmond uses his head while making one of his 33 saves against Merritt in a game at the Shaw Centre on Friday, Nov. 13. The Silverbacks won the game 5-2 after falling behind 2-0 in the first period. For more news on the Silverbacks’ hot weekend see A17.
Pilot gives city a waggle By Barb Brouwer OBSERVER STAFF
Most children phone, Skype, FaceTime or email when they wish to say hi to their parents. Not Russ Black. He waggles his wings. Capt. Russ Black is a C-17 Globemaster Aircraft commander with the Royal Canadian Air Force’s 8 Wing Canadian Forces Base in Trenton, Ont.
He was co-piloting the aircraft as it flew low over Salmon Arm about noon last Tuesday, to the consternation of several people who called the airport to see what was going on. “That was me too,” says Black who was also in the cockpit for a similar flyover several months ago that sparked many calls of concern to Salmon Arm airport manager See Plane on page A4
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
In flight: Capt. Thomas Turk and Capt.
They trimmed and they pared and they whittled. In the end, Salmon Arm council’s refining of the city’s 2016 budget will see taxpayers facing a 2.96 per cent tax increase. For a resident with what the city terms an average $288,000 home, that amounts to an approximate $40 increase over 2015. However, households will also see an $11.30 reduction in the solid waste and recycling levy, so, in total, the homeowner will be paying about $29 more on next year’s tax bill. Added to that, in a separate bill in December, will be a 2.6 per cent or $7.20 rise in the sewer rate. For a commercial property assessed at $500,000, the tax increase next year would be about $172. The sewer rate increase would vary, said Monica Dalziel, the city’s chief financial officer. The Mall at Piccadilly would pay $27 more, for example, while the Jade Palace would see a $5.60 increase. To coin a favourite Sesame Street phrase used regularly by some councillors, the $45 million budget was ‘brought to council by the letter’ T, with the budget described as ‘tight’ many times throughout the day. Dalziel explained the budget took a couple of “big hits” from the get go. New growth tax revenue for the 2015 budget wasn’t as much as predicted – 1.24 per cent rather than two. As well, some businesses successfully appealed their assessment through the BC Assessment Authority, including Canoe Forest Products Ltd. and Park Place Seniors Living Inc., resulting in an accumulated $100,000 decrease in municipal tax revenue. Prior to council receiving the budget, city staff worked on it for months, efforts that received many kudos from mayor and council. The staff budget included a 3.85 per cent tax increase, which council reduced, via 19 proposed changes, by 0.89 per cent. A one per cent tax increase in the budget equals about $156,000. The whole process took eight hours Monday, part of which saw the council gallery well-populated, mostly with city department heads, the fire See Snow removal on page A2
Russ Black pilot a C-17 Globemaster.
This week Following an application from parents, the school board reviews its transportation policy. See A14. The Shuswap Hospital Foundation is fundraising for renovations to the ICU. See A21.
Index Opinion ....................... A6 View Point .................. A7 Life & Times ............. A16 Sports................A17-A19 Time Out................... A22 Arts & Events ... A23-A26 Vol. 108, No. 46, 48 pages