The Regional District of East Kootenay Board of Directors completed the first review of the financial plan and are now looking for public input.
“The public comment period will end prior to our next board meeting and I encourage all residents of the East Kootenay to visit the project page, learn about more about the draft plan and how it will affect you,” says RDEK Board Chair Rob Gay in a release.
“The budgeting process begins in September with the RDEK staff, and there have been meetings with directors, stakeholders, commissions and more that have helped inform this Draft Plan. While those meetings will continue in the coming weeks, we also want to hear from the public and to get the community’s thoughts about our projects and services and the potential impact on property taxes.”
The plan shows how tax dollars are being spent on the more than 100 services offered in the RDEK.
The draft budget proposes a 4.6 per cent increase over last year, which works out to approximately $14 on an average $462,000 residential assessment.
“Year in and year out this Board and our staff work diligently to find a balance between providing quality services to our residents and being mindful of the tax impacts. As service level expectations increase, and the region continues to grow and evolve, this task becomes that much more challenging and I’m proud of the balance we have achieved in this year’s draft plan,” adds Gay.
“Having the public’s feedback is an important next step in the process and we look forward to gathering their input over the coming weeks.”
The financial plan is expected to be adopted at the next RDEK board meeting on March 11.
The public can comment until noon on March 7.
MORE: Financial plan (RDEK)