Revelstoke city council passes 2017 budget

The City of Revelstoke’s 2017 budget has been passed. City councillors voted unanimously to pass the proposed 2017-18 budget and 2017-2021 5 Year Financial Plan. Mayor Mark McKee was not at the meeting.

The budget includes a 6% tax increase for residential properties and a 4% increase for commercial properties.

A public consultation package was released for review on March 28, 2017 with a deadline of April 18. Only three submissions were received.

Among the three submissions was a letter from former city councillor Gary Starling. Starling has been vocal in his opposition to the proposed budget. Starling stated in his letter that he felt the proposed budget and financial plan information presented to the public lacked detailed information.

“There are few details about what was spent in years past so it is impossible to cull from this document what and where the actual increases in spending are,” Starling wrote in a letter to council.

Starling went on in his letter to state he felt the proposed budget should be rejected.

“Department heads should be asked to scale down capital expenditures and find savings,” Starling wrote. “Come back with a budget that is more consistent with the cost of living and is more balanced.”

More information about this year’s budget can be found here.