Vernon’s tax hike has nudged down slightly.
On Monday, council made a slight adjustment to the 2017 budget, which will see the tax increase go from 3.65 per cent to about 3.6 per cent.
The change occurred after Coun. Bob Spiers asked that the $15,000 line item for heritage grants be removed and the money come from reserves.
“It’s a simple way of reducing the taxes,” he said. “I don’t believe in taxing for the sake of taxing.”
While he was successful with heritage grants, Spiers failed when it came to possibly eliminating provincial carbon tax funds being transferred into reserves.
“We do not build up a reserve by stealth. Yesterday’s taxpayers are paying for something in the future,” he said.
Spiers’ colleagues refused to budge on the carbon transfers into reserves.
“We have to look at making our community a better place and sometimes you need money to do it,” said Coun. Juliette Cunningham.
Had the $45,967 in transfers ended, Spiers says that could have reduced the 2017 tax increase to 3.5 per cent.