Property tax stock photo (Image Credit: ID 122499615 © Andrii Yalanskyi | Dreamstime.com)

By Liam Verster

9.33% Hike

Vernon’s proposed tax rate for 2026 down slightly, still above 9%

Apr 14, 2026 | 10:26 AM

Vernon is moving ahead with a residential tax rate that is still over nine per cent, but down from previous estimates.

At the regular meeting Monday, April 13, Vernon City Council endorsed a residential property tax rate increase of 9.33 per cent for 2026.

That hike would lead to a tax increase of $207 for the average household in Vernon.

While that rate was high, it was below the 9.73 per cent increase previously proposed, and down from the original rate projection of 10.24 per cent.

“[The decrease] is because there was more additional, what we call, non-market, that’s additional building and businesses in the City of Vernon than we expected,” Mayor Victor Cumming told Vernon Matters following Monday’s meeting.

Aging Infrastructure

UBCO study helps prioritize bridge repairs amid climate, aging risks

3h ago

9.33% Hike

Vernon's proposed tax rate for 2026 down slightly, still above 9%

3h ago

Stepping Up Security

Kelowna launches voluntary CCTV registry to speed up police investigations

3h ago

“So that means [the rate] went down about a half a point.”

The mayor did concede that the rate was high, but that was not unexpected.

“We’re very clear with people, we were around three per cent increase in costs of operating the city, and the referendum was clear, they wanted the Active Living Centre, and we knew there would be a 3.5 per cent increase just for the capital costs, we knew that was in,” Cumming explained.

“We also knew that the RCMP was negotiating a new contract. We don’t get to participate in that, we just get an answer on that, so that was just short of two per cent as well.

“These are the things that are laid on on top of us managing, very carefully, the costs of the city. These are the things that are brought in, we added some very tiny things in terms of level of service that are required.”

Cumming also noted this would be the last year of the 3.5 per cent hike associated with the ALC. It is expected to decline to around 2.5 per cent in the final year of the loan repayment, leading to a tax rate decline in the coming years.

The business property tax will also be going up by 9.34 per cent this year. That changes represents an increase of $884 for a business with an assessed value of $1-million.

The rates endorsed at Monday’s meeting will be incorporated into the 2026 Tax Rate Bylaw, which will be presented to council at the April 27 meeting.

Once the bylaw has been adopted the final property tax levies will be calculated and the property tax notices will be distributed in May. The tax due date is July 2.

by Liam Verster

View Comments