Staff with the City of Revelstoke are proceeding on a 2025 budget that will have property owners facing a six per cent tax increase.
At its Dec. 10 meeting, city council voted to have staff prepare the coming year's budget/ 2025-2039 Long Term Financial Plan, with the six per cent increase. Two per cent of that is to be transferred to a reserve for the Revelstoke Forum, which is reaching the end of its lifespan and will either have to be replaced or undergo significant repairs. The budget will also include funding of a full-time flex firefighter position ($125,580) and a part-time clerk position with the RCMP ($49,824).
New spending initiatives in the budget include $112,527 for a full-time accounting technician; $60,786 for a full-time planning technician; $15,000 for council travel, conferences and training ($10,00 for the administrative staff); $12,557 to overhaul the city's website; and $23,500 for increased service levels during peak season at the aquatic centre. Money proposed for capital/project spending includes $245,000 for a heritage management plan; $30,000 for RCMP cell block cameras; $70,000 for a short-term rental review; $50,000 for community centre lobby furnishings; $50,000 for a climbing wall and diving board; $30,000 for website upgrades; $20,000 for a bathroom at Columbia View Park; $75,000 for track and field irrigation; and $45,000 for payroll time and attendance software implementation.
Discussion prior to council's vote included Coun. Aaron Orlando putting a motion on the floor for a 4 per cent tax increase. Asked why four and not six, as recommended by staff, he said the motion was to move things forward "with a number to get some conversation started." The motion was later amended to six per cent (Orlando opposed), with city finance director Sheanna Moore explaining a four per cent increase would provide "1.25 per cent towards the base budget, 2.75 per cent for spending initiatives and 2 per cent to continue saving and building reserves for the arena."
"I understand the target for the arena is blurry as to where we are heading, however, if the city does not continue to save and increase our transfers to reserves, it will be very difficult for us to have any options in the future so that is why the 6 per cent is being recommended in the 2025 budget," said Moore.
Coun. Tim Palmer agreed with the staff recommendation of six per cent, suggesting this was supported by feedback received through public engagement including a survey conducted between Nov. 9 and Dec. 8, 2024.
Further discussion was mostly dampened by Coun. Lee Devlin, who noted council already had "quite a few conversations about every line on here at finance committee meetings."
"I personally, I have very little to say," said Devlin, who reminded fellow councillors "This is a motion on preparing the long-term financial plan bylaw."
"This is not a motion on passing said bylaw, we are not reading this bylaw today, this is to give staff direction on how that bylaw will be prepared to come back to us here. These things can be altered.. once again if we feel that’s needed, although we try to avoid that by giving direction…"
