Sechelt's budget is going up this year by about $292,690 to pay for things such as wage and salary increases, inflation and property maintenance, but the average homeowner in the District will pay less in municipal taxes.
"There is a larger tax base to share the cost this year," finance director Doug Chapman said this week.
Thanks to a number of new homes being built in the District, the tax base has expanded. The B.C. Assessment Authority estimates new construction in Sechelt is worth about $20 million.
"The assessment authority changed their system this year and they are unable to give us completely accurate figures for new construction, but they're saying it's about $20 million," said Chapman. "We have construction permits at the District. We know where the houses are, but we are not able to keep track of the rise in assessment value. We rely on the authority for that."
Working with that ballpark figure and the assessed value of other homes in the District, Sechelt has calculated a decrease of 0.19 per cent in municipal taxes per average $322,000 home.The total budget for 2006 comes in at about $13.6 million, which includes $292,690 more than last year's budget for new "cost pressures," including $21,450 for library funding, $118,000 for wage and salary increases, $51,500 for inflation on some items, $40,000 for a consultant, $3,000 for the skateboard park, $8,400 for building maintenance, $20,000 for staff increases, $2,500 for arts and culture, $7,840 for property maintenance, $10,000 for a mapping contract and $10,000 for communications.
The library funding will go to pay for the 10 per cent increase in funding already agreed to by council. Wage and salary increases will go to pay for the 2.5 per cent raise due this year as per the District's collective agreement. The inflation costs are for things like phone, Hydro and natural gas. Sechelt has hired a consultant to help reorganize personnel within the District, change some processes to make them more streamlined and increase communication between departments. The $3,000 budgeted for the skate park is what the District has committed in 2006 to repair and maintain the site.
Building maintenance will be done on the municipal building and will include increased janitorial services.
The staff increase will go to pay for the new part-time person in the administration department, which Chapman notes will help with the timeliness of bylaws being written.
The $2,500 for arts and culture will go to pay for upkeep of the Sechelt Art Centre's grounds. The $7,840 budgeted for property maintenance is actually the District's share of taxes on a piece of property they've purchased in Davis Bay that will one day be made into a park.
"That's for the Robertson Property in Davis Bay on Mission Point which is sitting as a life estate for the next 20 years," said Chapman. "It is a taxable property while it is a life estate and we missed the deadline for filing for a permissive tax exception last year. It had to be approved in October and we purchased the property in November."The mapping contract funding is to ensure up-to-date electronic mapping of the District of Sechelt. The communications budget is to pay for more advertising to keep the community informed as to what is happening at the District.
For more information on Sechelt's budget, go to their website at www.district.sechelt.bc.ca or you can peruse a copy at the District office at 5797 Cowrie St., above the Sechelt Public Library.
The municipal tax decrease does not include the recreation tax that will be imposed this year to pay for the new pool in Sechelt and ice-based community centre in Gibsons. That comes with a $124 parcel tax per home and an average 26 per cent increase in taxes per homeowner.
Tax notices should arrive in the mail May 23.
