District approves new budget with 9.5% tax hike

Mar 21, 2024 | 4:45 PM Pete McIntyre

On the heels of a 17 per cent tax hike last year, Lake Country council has approved a 9.52 per cent increase as part of this year’s budget.

Mayor Blair Ireland said council felt it was needed to maintain current service levels.

“This budget allows us to sustain the essential services and daily operations our citizens rely on while implementing improvements the community has requested and deserves. We treat any increases very seriously as we are all taxpayers and care deeply about Lake Country’s future,” Ireland said in a news release.

It means the the average single family home, assessed at $1,086,000, will have to pay an extra $248 in municipal taxes. For a home assessed at $750,000, it works out to about $171.

The budget includes $15.5 million in capital projects in 2024 including:

Beaver Lake Intake Tower Replacement Construction (water infrastructure $3.8m)
Pretty Road Improvements ($2.1m)
Fire apparatus (2 Engine/water tender) ($1.8m)
Bulk Metering Facility Construction (water infrastructure $1.2m)
Mountain Bike Skills Park Construction ($500k)

“The increase is needed to support community safety, keeping up with the rising costs of delivering services, long-term infrastructure planning and asset management, and wage increases required to attract and retain skilled staff,” Trevor James, Chief Financial Officer, said.

Click here to view the district’s 2024-2028 Financial Plan.

The 17 per cent tax increase in 2023 was mostly due to Lake Country’s population going over 15,000, meaning it had to pay for 90 per cent of policing costs rather than the 70 per cent it was paying before.