The City of Kamloops is seeing mixed trends in graffiti reports and is considering new ways to reduce the financial burden on businesses and residents, according to an update presented Monday to the Safety and Security Select Committee.

Community Services Manager W. Beatty told the committee that reported graffiti incidents on public property have declined, while reports involving private property continue to rise.

“We’re seeing a slight decline in public property reported graffiti incidents and an increase in private property reported incidents,” Beatty said, pointing to year-over-year statistics from 2023 through 2025.

The update focused on the city’s ongoing approach to graffiti intervention, prevention, and response, which Beatty said aligns with council priorities around safety and security, service excellence, and economic health.

In 2025, the city spent about $132,000 of its $160,000 graffiti abatement budget, with final costs still being tallied from late-December invoices. Beatty attributed some of the savings to closer partnerships with the Kamloops Central, North Shore, and East Kamloops Business Improvement Associations.

“We’ve been utilizing existing service contracts with clean teams, as well as staff, to do graffiti abatement in these business corridors,” he said. “That’s why we were seeing a lower amount of money required from the City to be spent — because we partnered with the BIAs.”

Those partnerships, Beatty added, have helped speed up cleanup times. In some cases, businesses no longer receive direct enforcement letters about graffiti on their properties, with the city instead working through BIAs to coordinate removal.

Councillor Bill Sarai raised concerns about the impact graffiti cleanup requirements have on business owners and residents, particularly seniors.

“They’re paying business licenses, they’re paying taxes … and then while they’re at home or on the weekend, someone comes and tags their business,” Sarai said. “Now we go and give them 30 days to clean it up, which is another added cost that they don’t have.”

Sarai questioned whether the city could reintroduce or expand special funding to help cover cleanup costs, similar to vandalism programs offered in previous years.

In response, Beatty said the issue is actively being discussed with BIAs, the RCMP, and Community Services Crime Prevention. He noted that staff are examining programs used in other communities, including Kelowna, where residents can apply for free paint to cover graffiti.

“Those are some of the style of programs that we’re going to be looking at and bringing back to you guys for some consideration,” Beatty said.

He emphasized that the city’s current approach prioritizes intervention and support over enforcement, especially for vulnerable residents.

“When it comes to the removal of graffiti, we take an intervention-first-based approach,” he said. “If they happen to be a senior and are unable to do that, we look for various programs that can best support them.”

Looking ahead to 2026, Beatty said the city and its partners plan to streamline a “hassle-free” reporting process that links businesses directly with Community Services and the RCMP. Youth-focused education initiatives are also a priority, aimed at highlighting the financial and community impacts of graffiti.

Committee chair Katie Neustaeter praised the progress made so far, noting that while private property incidents have edged up, the broader trend shows improvement compared to previous years.

“When you really put that in the broader context, you’ve seen some great success already,”  Neustaeter said. “Those numbers are substantially down from where they were when I started chairing this committee.”

The chair added that the committee has confidence in the strategies planned for the coming year and thanked staff for their continued focus on keeping Kamloops’ neighbourhoods and business areas clean and welcoming.