Conservation fund passes along with 2017 budget

An environmental conservation fund that will raise nearly half-a-million dollars annually from taxpayers has cleared its final hurdle. The board of the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen on Thursday passed its 2017 budget, which includes the new levy that will cost the average household about $10 per year.

It will generate roughly $450,000 annually that will be administered by the South Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Program to purchase and restore environmentally sensitive habitats and protect water resources in the region.

While he previously expressed concerns about the fund, Penticton Mayor Andrew Jakubeit on Thursday gave his blessing by voting in favour of the budget.

“Penticton’s got a lot of projects that will probably benefit from this fund. It will also allow us to leverage funds from other levels of government and non-governmental organizations, so it is a good thing,” he said.

Jakubeit had earlier proposed bringing in the parcel tax at $5 per household and also expressed a desire to let the public decide what projects should be funded, but he was outvoted by a wide margin.

“That was my opinion, and the vast majority of the board thought differently,” he said. “It’s not the hill to die on.” Under the 2017 RDOS budget, the average homeowner in Penticton will contribute $90.67 to the local government, up 19 per cent from a year ago.

The biggest dollar-value increase is in Area E (Naramata), where the average homeowner’s tax bill will rise by 13 per cent to $1,034.

Director Karla Kozakevich said the jump is driven by an expanded fire service, acquisition of park land, and an increase in the cost of 911 service, plus the new conservation fund.

“We’re providing more services, we’re doing more, and, yeah, taxes do go up because of that,” she said.

“I don’t expect to see an increase like that in the 2018 budget.”

The total RDOS tax requisition for 2017 stands at $15.9 million, up seven per cent from 2016.

The operating budget has increased 10 per cent to $30.6 million. Additions include $525,000 for new services, including the conservation fund and South Okanagan transit; $462,000 for new staff; $215,000 in new debt servicing costs; and $147,000 for salary and honorarium increases for staff, board members and volunteer firefighters.

The capital budget has jumped by 17 per cent to $11.5 million, with much of the increase resulting from environmental work at the Campbell Mountain landfill required by the B.C. government.