Kelowna council rejects proposed 4.4% property tax hike

Kelowna city council spent Thursday deliberating next year's budget including a proposed 4.4 per cent property tax increase recommended by city staff.

City Manager Ron Matiussi addressed city council to defend the proposed increase.

"We have this notion that [tax increases] should be around two per cent, but the city ... when taxes were two per cent, thought sidewalks were gold-plated standards," Matiussitold council.

"We accepted a water system that people in Kazakhstan would laugh at. Those were the things that made up those two per cents because we didn't spend money."

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"We're trying to build a great city," he said, his voice chokingwith emotion. "And that takes money. Sometimes more than two per cent."

No extra cops

But despite Matiussi's pleas, council spent most of theThursday meeting attempting to cut the increase.

By the end of the day, the property tax increase was cut down to 3.86 per cent. A final 2017 budget will be nailed down in April.

About one third of it is already earmarked to pay for a new $39 million police detachment, and last year, council approved the hiring of six new police officers.

With that in mind, CouncillorGail Given and others questioned whether the RCMP's request to add two more new officers was "absolutely necessary."

CouncillorLuke Stack said rising police costs had forced the city "to swallow this giant nut," referring to the police detachment.

Council, ultimately, rejectedthe police request for two extra officers.

No new firefighters, either

Fire service spending was also in council's crosshairs.

City politicians delayed,for a year, a request from Fire Chief Jeff Carlisleto renovate a fire hall in the city's Glenmore neighbourhood and hire 12 full-time firefighters to staff it.

CouncillorMohini Singh encouraged her colleagues to find the "courage" to approve the request, but was not successful.

Stack said the decision was better off being held back for a year to wait for improvements to the road network. His position carried the day.

Delaying the renovation and the hiring of firefighters trimmed$640,000 from next year's budget.

With files from Adrian Nieoczym, Josh Pag and CBC Radio One's Radio West