Property taxes in the rural area outside of Rossland will be dropping this year, according to the draft financial plan released last week by the regional district.
Electoral Area B taxes will be decreasing by about $30 for the average household (average assessed property value of $200,00), paying around $930 in 2014.
With the regional airport off the menu for regional services, and the funding of regional economic development halted for one year, Area B residents now only share regionally in fire and police, recreation, transit and solid waste management services.
Although shared regional services are going to cost taxpayers a little more, according to the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary preliminary figures, losing two costlier items effectively lowers the bill.
The ending of three-year agreement with the Lower Columbia Initiatives Corporation (LCIC) last spring—which Area B contributed $20,000 annually—was a significant cut.
“We won’t be taxing for the LCIC service this year,” RDKB chief administrative officer (CAO) John MacLean told the Trail Times. “We are using surplus and they have a mandate to make a case and show us what they can do.”
The region’s taxpayers will also save $10,000 for regional airport service after the RDKB sold the local airstrip to the City of Trail earlier this month.
MacLean said the $1.28 million deal add funds to administration reserves, and “now that it is sold there is no taxation this year.”
MacLean said, across the regional district, there was a $1.1 million budget increase this year.
An additional $8,700 will be paid to the regional district to share costs of the B.C. municipal election scheduled for Nov. 15.
The recreation commission budget increased almost $8,200.
Area B has almost 1,400 people living in the largely rural area that extends just north of Genelle to the Paulson Bridge, through Sheep Creek, Blackjack and Paterson to the U.S. Border and includes Oasis, Rivervale and Casino.