A its budget process continues the Central Coast Regional District is aiming to have a budget approved at the Jan. 25 board meeting that can go out for public consultation.
Once it is approved, an open house will be scheduled in February in the Bella Coola Valley for residents to review the budget, ask questions and provide feedback, said CCRD chair Jayme Kennedy.
An additional online session will be provided for outer coast residents and those that were unable to attend.
“I encourage everyone to attend either in person or online,” Kennedy said.
“As of right now, the CCRD is considering a 5.5 per cent increase, but that is subject to change as we are seeking additional feedback from our residents,” said Kennedy.
“Many increases throughout services including the library service and solid waste are beyond our control but we are working hard to keep the increase minimal while still moving forward on projects that are important to the community.”
A group called the Valley Taxpayers Alliance, formed in the spring, continues to meet every Wednesday at Nusatsum Elementary School beginning at 7 p.m.
The group is concerned about the CCRD budget and taxation, wanting answers about out-o- town hires, contracts, grants and communication from the regional district to residents.
Taxpayers saw an average 61.29 per cent increase in 2023. The region is seeing less of an increase in property values for 2024 than it did in 2023.
BC Assessment notices went out at the beginning of January showing an average increase of two percent for the Bella Coola area.
A property that was assessed at $232,000 as of July 1, 2022 is now assessed at $238,000 as of July 1, 2023.
Last year the average increase in assessed value was 21 per cent.
“We have seen the same softening of the markets this past year as in other areas of the province,” said Teria Penner, deputy assessor with BC Assessment in an emailed response. “The market transactions taking place around the valuation date of July 1, 2023 had minimal change to them as compared to the sales from the previous year.”
Comparing the CCCRD area assessments with the Cariboo Regional District (CRD), residential residential assessments (for hospital/regional district taxation) were up by approximately 3.6 per cent, while total assessment increased by just over four per cent, said CRD communications manager Gerald Pinchbeck.
After excluding values from municipalities (Wells, Quesnel, 100 Mile, and Williams Lake), rural properties in the CRD saw residential assessments increase by 2.9 per cent and overall assessments by approximately 3.1 per cent.
Williams Lake is seeing a -3 per cent decrease on average for property assessments as of July 1, 2023.
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