Councillors approved the City of Quesnel’s 2018 operating budget at the Jan. 23 council meeting.
Bottom line: taxes are going up, except for industry.
The total taxation required for the operating budget is $15,160,443, an increase of 3.4 per cent over 2017.
This results in an increase of approximately $52 to the average residence (valued at $185,387), or approximately $28 per $100,000 of assessment.
The average residence in Quesnel went up 3.8 per cent in assessment in 2018.
The increase to commercial business will be approximately $88 per $100,000 of assessment.
Major and light industry taxation are frozen at 2015 levels, with 2018 being the last year of the current tax framework.
This budget could change slightly as the final assessments are released in March 2018 from BC Assessment.
Mayor Bob Simpson spoke to this year’s operating budget by congratulating council and staff for the budget, which is the final year of a four-year tax framework.
“I think it was ‘gutsy’ and it was a courageous step on our part. We had a lot that we were attempting to achieve.
“Some would say it was foolhardy trying to do them all at the same time, but I think it was proved out. We’re re-balancing our taxations … it came down substantially, so that’s what wanted to do.”
The mayor noted council has addressed the infrastructure gap that it needed to address for fiscal sustainability.
“We’ve freed up things like the federal gas tax so we can actually invest.”
Simpson said the feedback he’s getting from the community is they’re seeing the taxes come up, but they also see the investments council is making in the community.
“I think we can tie it back to our budget survey, which tends to state people think we’re on track and we’re doing the right things.”
The next council actually inherits a very strong fiscal framework for going forward, he added.
“Notwithstanding, we are still cash pinched and we still have to be careful on the operating side.
“I wanted to thank council for taking the steps that we’re taking and getting us to to this point.”