Revelstoke city council is working to keep ahead of inflation while also saving up for large scale projects in the city in the 2025 budget. The current proposal would see a total tax increase between4 per cent and 7 per cent for 2025.
“I know that inflation has been volatile over the last few years, so in the next budget cycle I will be reassessing where we’re at,” Sheanna Moore, director of finance, told council.
Along with trying to budget for inflation and maintain funding for services for the next fiscal year, council is also trying to budget for long term projects, including permanent traffic calming strategies along Fourth Street, wastewater treatment plant upgrades, parking strategies, pavement plan upgrades and the future pump track.
Another key project staff are trying to budget for is the Revelstoke Forum replacement. Current tax proposals include a zero to three per cent increase for the multipurpose facility, depending on scenario. The scenarios were adjusted during the Nov. 7 council meeting to help gauge community input on increasing money going towards the Revelstoke multipurpose facility.
“I think we’ve got to get serious about planning what we’re going to do with that arena,” Coun. Matt Cherry commented, noting that current savings for the project are nowhere near meeting the expected costs. Previous budget cuts to the forum means current council and staff need to focus on catching up, he added.
No matter the tax scenario that council votes on, Revelstoke will see a 1.25 per cent increase for the core budget and a 2.75 per cent increase for operating spending initiatives such as utility services, RCMP contracts and aquatic centre usage.
That tax increase could have been higher if not for Revelstoke’s continued growth, Evan Parliament, chief administrative officer pointed out in the Nov. 7 meeting. The City of Revelstoke’s revenue increased by $595,000 in 2024 due to property taxes, making it one of the highest revenue streams for the city.
“If it weren’t for growth we’d be looking at … a core [increase] of close to five per cent,” Parliament told council, stressing that growth would continue to support Revelstoke’s revenue needs.
Since the Nov. 7 meeting, staff have been collecting input from residents through online forms, written feedback and in-person meetings. During a Nov. 28 public meeting, which included council members, staff and Chamber of Commerce representatives on hand to chat with residents about the proposed budget plans, Moore told Revelstoke Mountaineer that in-person engagement with the budget project has grown.
“We still need people to understand that an increase is necessary to meet current city needs,” Moore said, reiterating that utilities, assets and programs offered by the city have seen growing costs and the proposed four per cent base tax increase is needed unless the city is willing to cut services and resources.
City staff are seeking community input on the budget and tax increase scenarios by Sunday, Dec. 8. A report will then go to council to vote on what tax increase scenario to proceed with in an upcoming general council meeting. Residents can submit feedback via TalkRevelstoke, emailing [email protected] with 2025 Budget as the subject, or by mailing or dropping off written comments to city hall.
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