Expansion to the Royal Inland Hospital won’t be finished when a $417-million-dollar project to build a new tower is done.

Thompson Nicola Regional District CAO Sukh Gill says the tower is phase two, and says there will be a phase three down the road to build another facility on the RIH property.

He says the TNRD plans to build up $25 million in reserve funds.

“Unless we have the need for other projects that may come up in the Regional Hospital District too. It’s just not for that, it could be potentially for other capital projects too. Because we look after a large number of other hospitals – to Merritt, to Lillooet, to Ashcroft, to Clearwater – and a number of other facilities.”

Gill says phase three of expanding Royal Inland Hospital is still in very early discussions.

Meanwhile, the chair of the Thompson Regional Hospital District says this is the second-to-last year of taxes going up because of the expansion to Royal Inland Hospital.

Kamloops mayor Ken Christian explains local governments are raising the hospital tax over a five-year period, which is 1.5 per cent in each of those years. This is year four, and the TNRD says the annual tax increase works out to less than $3 for the average household.

“That’s in part to fund our contribution to this project. We’re going to commit $172 million dollars from the local tax base to this project.”

Christian says about $155 per year of property taxes per household goes to healthcare.

“It’s a good investment from my perspective.”