Property taxes paid to the TNRD are going down this year for most taxpayers.

Director of finance Doug Rae says the regional district will be collecting a little more than $500,000 dollars less in taxes this year compared to 2018, which will mean an overall decrease of 2.4 per cent.

“Most of that has to do with a reduction in tax in our solid waste management service,” Rae says, in regards to a decrease of $1.025 million for that service in this year’s budget. “which Kamloops doesn’t pay into, so the other areas of the TNRD see that benefit but Kamloops really doesn’t.”

Despite the overall decrease, property owners in Kamloops will be paying an extra $1.32 in taxes this year to the TNRD. The largest increase among municipalities will be in Sun Peaks, at $16.46 per property on average.

“Sun Peaks, for instance, has had a significant increase in the value of the properties there, so they end up paying a larger share of tax. Even though the total taxes are going down, their share of that tax ends up going up a bigger portion of a smaller pie.”

Rae also says people in Area J which includes Savona, Tobiano and Cherry Creek will see a tax increase of $32.11 on average, mainly due to money committed there for flood mitigation.

Most areas, however, will see a decrease in property taxes in varying amounts. In the budget report, the Village of Chase will see a decrease of $26.38 on average, and the Village of Ashcroft and District of Clearwater will also see decreases of about $25 dollars this year. the largest decrease will be in Area O, where property taxes will drop $38.34 on average.

Regional district directors will be asked to adopt the 2019 budget at tomorrow’s board meeting.