Regional District passes $59M budget
The Regional District of Central Okanagan board has passed its 2022 budget which totals $59 million.
That’s an increase of 2.5 per cent over 2021.
Regional board chair Loyal Wooldridge said the budget prioritizes the ongoing support needed for people recovering from last summer’s White Rock Lake wildfire and to bolster the regional emergency management program.
“The board is advancing the important work of Truth and Reconciliation with Indigenous communities to embed Indigenous wisdom into the organization. Operating costs are responsible, keeping pace with growth and inflation and include some key staffing additions needed to meet service demand from residents,” said Wooldridge.
The budget includes $16.9 million (down $2.42 million from 2021) in capital and infrastructure improvements including:
- $7.5 milllion for parks;
- $4.1 million for liquid waste systems;
- $2.1 million for fire and protective services;
- $1.7 million for improvements and upgrades to RDCO water systems.
“We know park space and natural areas support the health of our residents and it is our responsibility to ensure they are protected and resilient in the face of climate change,” said Wooldridge. “Our regional parks management plans make our natural areas more accessible and protect ecosystems.”
Unlike municipalities, the regional district does not collect taxes directly. It requisitions funds from each local government on behalf of their residents and the province which collects rural property taxes in each electoral area.
The tax impacts for general RDCO services on the average home in each specific area are shown in the following table. The actual tax rate varies from neighbourhood to neighbourhood and by municipality, depending on the level of funding participation and local services provided by the regional district.
(Image credit: RDCO)Central Okanagan Regional Hospital District
The Central Okanagan Regional Hospital District (CORHD) Board also approved its five year financial plan. Each year, ratepayers within the Hospital District contribute up to 40 per cent of the funds for approved capital and equipment services.
The 2022 budget includes $39.3 million in capital project funding requested by Interior Health Authority, an increase of $9.5 million, or 41 per cent, from 2021. Among the new requests for Hospital District funding: a pharmacy update at Kelowna General Hospital, replacement of an existing MRI unit and installation of an additional MRI and a new CT scanner.
The significant rise in assessments across the region will result in an average decrease of $19.45 in the requisition this year by the Hospital District. That means the average property owner in the Central Okanagan will contribute $169.48 toward funding of health projects in the region, a decrease of just over 10 per cent from 2021.
It is expected that the average household cost will rise over the next four years to continue providing adequate reserves for future Interior Health funding requests.