LAC BUDGET ROUNDUP: Water and Sewage budgets rising PAGE 3
$1.50
inc. GST
THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2023
RCMP BOWEN TOWN HALL
VOL. 49 NO. 16
BIUndercurrent
Sea to Sky RCMP visit PAGE 13
BowUndercurrent www.bowenislandundercurrent.com
Property tax raises to address infrastructure issues on-island TAXES WOULD JUMP AT LEAST 9.5% FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS ALEX KURIAL Editor
THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS!: It’s Volunteer Week, a time to celebrate the many members of our community who work tirelessly to make our home a better place. This includes Sue Ritchie, who volunteers for Snug Cove House Society by travelling to the mainland every other week to pick up flash-frozen meals for Bowen Island residents. The‘Better Meals’service has been provided by SCHS for the past 28 years, primarily serving seniors but available to anybody. You can find the full menu at the pharmacy, and can place orders by emailing info@ snugcovehouse.com. Sue is one of many inspiring volunteer stories on our island, and this week you can find many more in our special Volunteer Week section from Pages 8-11. A massive thank you to everyone who volunteers here on the island, and if you are thinking of getting involved in a volunteer project, don’t hesitate! / Graham Ritchie photo
An updated look at Bowen’s five-year financial plan paints a stark picture of what property taxes will look like in the years ahead. Preliminary numbers given at the start of the draft process last month had this year’s rise at 13.3 per cent, with jumps from 2024-27 of 5.8, 3.4, 6.8, and 3.5 per cents. But during a presentation to council last week, chief financial officer Kristen Watson explained those numbers are no longer viable to address some of the community’s most pressing problems on the infrastructure front. “The staff recommendation included in the report is based on the recognition that long-term pressure is the result of the cost of infrastructure, renewal and replacement, and the cost of additional debt that has been taken on to build capital projects,” says Watson. The increase for this year is minimal (relative to the starting point), the new total rising by one to 14.3 per cent. This will equate to around $28 based on the average island home value of approximately $1.5 million. Total property tax for the year will be nearly $400 based on the same metric. The 2023 increase will go specifically toward the area of asset management, which council has identified as a priority for the upcoming term. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
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