Kal Tire Place (photo / Vernon Matters)

By Kevin Rothwell

Large debts are finished

Greater Vernon Parks, Recreation & Culture tax levy drops

Jan 15, 2021 | 5:30 AM

The cost to fund Greater Vernon Parks, Recreation and Culture (GVRPC) is dropping by about 4.8 per cent for 2021, thanks in part to debt being paid off on two facilities.

Two large debt issues – $14,250,000 within the Multi-Use Facility service (Kal Tire Place) and $7,050,000 within the Community Theatre service (Performing Arts Centre) – matured December 1, 2020. The maturity of these debt issues has resulted in a combined annual savings of approximately $1,062,000 in principal and interest payments.

The budget covers Greater Vernon Trails and Open Spaces, Kal Tire Place, Kal Tire Place North, Greater Vernon Recreation facilities and programming, Greater Vernon Culture and the Performing Arts Centre as distinct functions within GVRPC.

The trails and open spaces budget saw the biggest increase $580,560, much of that related to the Okanagan Rail Trail and land acquisition for the extension and connection of existing trails.

Greater Vernon Culture also increased by $129,362 with a 2 per cent increase in most grants, and additional money for a public art project.

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The Greater Vernon Parks and Recreation function changed just 0.1 per cent, a difference of less than $1,600 dollars from 2020.

The total property tax requisition, came in at $8,213,334.

“The total tax requisition is 3.2 per cent combined with a tax base increase of about 1.6 per cent, the total requirement will drop by 4.8 per cent,” Steven Banmen Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO) General Manager of Finance said.

There was last minute inclusion of $100,000 for a public art project or projects.

“In terms of public art, I would say we are in the early stages of understanding what that looks like,” Tannis Nelson, ‎Assistant Manager of Parks, Recreation & Culture said.

An additional $200,000 was dedicated to trail development.

“We know we are adding trail space. We are trying to do all these things in parks,” Electoral Area ‘B’ Director Bob Fleming said. “My inclination is that we retain some of it this year, so we don’t have a tax decrease this year, followed by a tax increase next year to make it up.”

The RDNO board will go over the books before final approval Jan. 20.