Good news from B.C. Assessment for the City of Vernon means good news for taxpayers.
The news will reduce the financial impact to the 2023 municipal budget.
Council endorsed its five-year financial plan for 2023-2027 in December with a total budget increase of 4.79 per cent. That included information from B.C. Assessment that the 2023 non-market changes in assessments for Vernon would be approximately $300,000.
The city was notified by B.C. Assessment late in 2022 that this year’s non-market changes in Vernon will be approximately $750,000, an increase of $450,000.
“This is excellent news for Vernon,” said Mayor Victor Cumming.
“When council originally debated this year’s budget, we made the difficult decision to continue to defer putting $350,000 annually into a fire apparatus reserve. Now that we have this new information, council has been able to approve the funding request for the fire apparatus reserve, which will help Vernon Fire Rescue Services plan and prepare for the replacement of fire apparatus when needed in the future.
“This is just one more way the city and its council is focusing on the safety of community members and those who serve our citizens.”
The additional $100,000 from non-market change has been added into the 2023 municipal budget calculations, which means the overall budget change for this year has been reduced from 4.79 per cent to 4.57 per cent. This includes:
• 2.67 per cent increase for annual operating expenses and improvements to public services;
• 1.9 per cent increase for the final installment of the 10-year infrastructure levy program
Police, Fire Services and Bylaw Compliance
The 2023 budget includes the addition of two new RCMP officers, a deputy fire chief position for Vernon Fire Rescue Services, and a new bylaw compliance officer.
“These positions will bolster our local emergency response teams and are a strong benefit for our community,” said Cumming. “In the last few years, we’ve seen a significant increase in call volumes with requests for emergency assistance. Our population has also grown steadily in the last five years, as shown in the latest Statistics Canada Census.
“Therefore, it was time for us to increase staff resources for our emergency response agencies so they can continue providing these essential services without compromising the well-being of those on the front line.”
Snow clearing enhancements
Another area of focus in the 2023 budget was on snow clearing services across the community.
Council endorsed three operational service level adjustments to enhance snow clearing at bus stops and in priority lanes throughout the winter season, and to include weekend and holiday clearing of sidewalks that are maintained by the city. These enhancements to service will occur after final adoption of the 2023 – 2027 financial plan bylaw, which is expected to happen on Feb. 13.
“For several years, Council has heard requests from the public to increase snow clearing efforts in these specific areas,” said Mayor Cumming. “These changes to the budget come directly from those requests.
“Council has also given staff the financial resources they may need to have snow removed from key areas of the city – such as the downtown core, 27th Street, and 32nd Street (Highway 97) – on a more frequent basis, if we have a significant snowfall season like we did in 2021. However, if those funds are needed for snow removal, they will come from a Snow Removal Reserve so there will be no additional impact to taxation.”
1.9% infrastructure levy and Capital program
Council introduced the infrastructure levy in 2013 as a 10-year program to provide the necessary funds to strategically repair or replace aging infrastructure and establish a stronger foundation for our community. This program helps fund improvements to municipal roads, stormwater and wastewater management systems, public buildings, and parks.
In 2021, the infrastructure levy was paused for one year, in response to impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. It was resumed in 2022 and will be continued for its 10th and final year in 2023.
Vernon’s 2023 Capital program is consistent with the 2023 rolling five-year infrastructure plan and will include more than $21.5 million in projects. Some of the larger projects are:
• Kin Race Track Athletic Park phase 1 - $3 M;
• Polson Park Vernon Creek naturalization phase 1 - $1.95M;
• Civic Memorial Park phase 3 - $1.36M;
• Infrastructure replacement on 32nd Avenue from Pleasant Valley Road to 20th Street - $1.72M;
• Infrastructure replacement on 32nd Avenue and 38th Street near Alexis Park Drive and 30th Ave. - $2.78M;
• The extension of sanitary sewer collector pipe to a portion of the remaining non-serviced areas in the Okanagan Landing area using horizontal directional drilling - $1.11M.
The 2023 – 2027 financial plan is expected to be adopted by council at its next regular meeting on Feb. 13. Tax rate options are expected to be considered by council in April and property tax notices will be mailed to property owners in May.
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roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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