Draft 2024 City of Castlegar budget calls for 6.43% tax increase
By City of Castlegar
Following two days of deliberations, City of Castlegar Council approved a Draft 2024 Budget and is now seeking community input.
The budget will result in 6.43 per cent tax increase for residential properties and 6.70 per cent for business and light industrial properties. This equates to $83.89 annually, or approximately $6.99 per month, for the City portion on an average single-detached home tax bill in Castlegar. City taxes are only one portion of a property tax bill, which also includes amounts the City collects on behalf of the Province of British Columbia, the Regional District, school and library levies.
The Draft 2024 Budget focuses on maintaining essential services that residents rely on the City to provide daily. The approved budget ensures that the City can continue to advance Council’s priorities outlined in the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan. It allows the City to fund key projects and services, including:
- Implementing recommendations from the Castlegar Housing Strategy;
- Improving accessibility to the Millennium Park & Ponds beach;
- Finalizing approvals for an RNP solution to improve reliability at the West Kootenay Regional Airport;
- Continuing liquid waste planning to guide the City’s management of liquid waste over the next 20 years;
- Implementing recommendations from the Regional Economic Development Strategy to ensure the current and future economic well-being of the community;
- Finalizing the next phase of the Millennium Park & Ponds project; and
- Engaging the community to reconceptualize Brandson Park.
“The City will continue building the foundation for a prosperous and growing community by putting short and long-term strategies into action,” says Director of Financial Services, Ola Oladele. “The Draft 2024 Budget ensures the City is financially poised to take advantage of opportunities.”
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS
Find the Draft 2024 Budget at castlegar.ca/budget and send your thoughts via email to budget@castlegar.ca by January 12, 2024, and/or join us in person or online at a public open house on Wednesday, January 10, 2024, at 5 p.m. Find the details at castlegar.ca/budget.
Residents can watch the recordings of the 2024 Draft Budget deliberations on the City’s website at castlegar.ca.
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