Trail’s tax increase this year is higher than usual, but lower than originally proposed.
This week city council unanimously adopted a budget with a 4.51 per cent tax hike, down from the 4.8 per cent presented on April 19.
“As much as we don’t like 4.51 per cent I think it’s quite reasonable when we take the last three years in context in terms of the challenges we’ve had,” councillor Sandy Santori said.
“Overall I think over the last three years we’re probably well below the norm of most municipalities.”
Going any lower would affect service levels, Santori said, adding he was “convinced citizens are very satisfied with the level of service they’re getting.”
Acting chief financial officer Rino Merlo explained that Trail had no tax increase in 2020 followed by a 3.9 per cent increase in 2021.
“One could argue we’re still catching up a little bit from a municipal point of view,” he said.
The smaller increase will raise an extra $686,000, compared to the $729,000 previously proposed, he said, noting that the rate is at the median level compared to 25 other BC municipalities.
The extra revenue would have gone toward the “general government services,” Merlo added.