Vernon taxes: when will we ever catch up?

I was recently asked about what could be done to hold the line or reduce taxes in the City of Vernon. This is a good question. If you include the infrastructure levy (a separate line item on your city tax bill) we have had well over 3% tax annual increases through most of the last two councils. The spending on staff will increase this coming budget year with the addition of six new officers to the regional detachment of the RCMP that calls Vernon home (a little over a million) over a 1% increase on that line item of the overall budget.

I question whether these magnitudes of tax increases are sustainable. Each increase compounds with the last until the financial burden on families and businesses becomes a deterrent for growth and prosperity. I am beginning to wonder if we have crossed that line. 

The argument is made that we are playing “catch up” from when previous administrations kept taxes artificially low by postponing what needed to be done to maintain the” bones” of our city. That may be true but what I think Vernon tax payers would like to know is whether we are ever going to catch up and be able to return to more modest increases that reflect the actual growth of our local economy and the earning power of our residents and businesses?Or is it possible to hold the line or spend less as a city?

As a member of Vernon City Council I will seek positive answers to these questions. Please vote for Shawn Lee Vernon City Council