A municipal tax increase of 7.2 per cent for the city’s 2024 budget was approved by Smithers council on April 9.
Director of Finance William Wallace said the 9.2 million funding requirement for 2024 is mostly made up of maintenance for municipal services, the town’s RCMP contract and funding for roads and capital infrastructure plans.
Mayor Gladys Atrill and Coun. Genevieve Paterson praised town staff for the budget, which had been trimmed over the past months. Atrill said that with inflation costs, the tax increases were inevitable.
“Everyone around the table knows the amount of work that went into the budget,” Atrill said.
“Nobody is ever happy to receive an increase in taxes. But the services are valuable within the community and … I think we all know that costs have increased.”
The tax increase is in line with other municipalities in the region, with a 7.7 per cent increase in Prince Rupert, 6.8 per cent in Prince George and 7.3 per cent in Terrace.
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