Tax increase of 11.4% proposed for West Kelowna

'This proposed increase is substantial,' reads a West Kelowna report recommending a tax hike, noting there have been 'considerable mitigation efforts to bring it down.'

A tax hike of 11.41 per cent. That’s what city council in West Kelowna will discuss on Tuesday as it looks at next year’s budget.

A report to city council, which is available online, compiled a list of rising costs, chief among them being policing, fire and rescue plus operations and road maintenance.

In all, the report forecasts the city’s tax total to rise to $46.929 million, up from $41.563 million in 2023. That equates to a net tax increase of 11.41 per cent.

“This proposed increase is substantial,” reads the report, “and has not been taken lightly by management with considerable mitigation efforts to bring it down.”

The report was from the city’s director of finance, Warren Everton, and reviewed by three others, including the city’s deputy chief administrative officer Trevor Seibel.

The report recommends that council members direct city staff to incorporate the tax increase, and that council give it first reading.

In Kamloops, city council is eyeing a 10.81 per cent tax increase while Osoyoos recently increased its property taxes by 39.3 per cent.

Elsewhere, Penticton is facing a 5.0 per cent tax increase while Kelowna upped its taxes by 4.75 per cent.