Corrected: Area F draft Tax Requisition

Area F 2026 Tax Requisition First reading revised[81].pdf

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Update:

Area F was never looking at a 20% tax increase. There was a calculation error in a summary line on the requisition. The calculation did not and does not have any impact on Area F's actual tax dollars. The three parcel taxes (described below) are part of Area F but should not have been included in the 'average tax rate' calculation. For some citizens, this was confusing (and alarming!), and for that, I apologize. RDOS staff work incredibly hard to make a complex process as straightforward and clear as possible and this oversight has been corrected. However, at no point was Area F ever considering a 20% increase in actual tax dollars. As you can see below, the error had no impact on total taxation dollar amounts.

The 'average tax/property' is inherently a misleading number. Not only do property values vary considerably, but citizens in the RDOS only pay for services that they benefit from. No one in West Bench is supporting the Faulder Water System. No one in Meadow Valley is contributing to the GWB's fire protection. So, to provide one number as an 'average' for all of Area F is a rough guide, at best. The most important numbers are the actual dollar amounts for each budget line item..

Original Post:

Initially, three 'parcel tax' amounts (Faulder Water, Transit, and Street Lighting) were mistakenly included in the calculation, causing a 20% increase in Area F's average residential property taxes (on paper). After correcting the error by removing the parcel taxes, the actual increase is 5.63% ($85), not 20% ($300).

Attached is the update Area F Tax Requisition as of first reading. There are two more readings before adoption.

• The largest increase, $40k, is for fire protection provided by the City of Penticton to Greater West Bench, paid solely by GWB residents. The RDOS board neither sets nor can change this amount; it simply forwards the bill from the City to GWB citizens.

  
  

• The next largest increase is for Electoral Admin ($39k), primarily for new staff hires, shared across all electoral areas. Reducing this amount requires majority board approval.

  
  

• The third highest increase is to Area F Parks Commission ($29k) to build reserves for future work. This amount can be adjusted as it only affects Area F. The aim is to maintain healthy reserves while balancing affordability.

The first budget reading seeks public input and often results in changes before the second and third readings. I don't expect major changes, but I'll update if there are any. Depending on what services you are a part of, taxes will increase by about 5.6%, with a smaller increase for those outside Greater West Bench/fire protection service area.

Thank you for reading. Let me know if you have any questions,

Riley

rgettens@rdos.bc.ca

250-488-0246