Taxpayers are now in line for a 0.93 per cent tax increase in Kamloops this year.

That’s after council spent just under three hours this morning voting on 15 supplemental budget items.

Items approved today including spending up to $750,000 on planning to renovate the Kamloops RCMP Battle Street detachment, approving two new positions at Kamloops Fire Rescue, hiring a police financial clerk and crime analyst, hiring an archaeologist in-house, upgrading pedestrian crossing and improving boat launches.

Council only voted down two of the proposed supplemental items. Most notably, council has postponed budget planning for an RCMP Training Facility, which called for spending $755,000 in 2024 and $8 million in 2025 for the facility, which would’ve made Kamloops a hub for protective services personnel to get firearm training.

Council also voted against raising the 911 levy from $0.75 to $1.25 for homeowners with landlines.

Before today, the projected tax  increase was 0.28 per cent in this year’s budget. The new projected tax increase of 0.93 per cent represents a $20.72 tax increase for the average home with an assessed value of $469,000.

Mayor Ken Christian says this will be the lowest tax increase in well over 10 years. Council had directed staff to find ways to keep the tax increase close to zero, as a form of belt-tightening while economic hardship from the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

The budget will be finalized next month, before the new fiscal year starts on April 1.

More to come.