The average home in Prince George will see a $14 property tax increase this year, following the approval of the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George 2012 budget on Thursday.
The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George board of directors approved a $1.3 million budget increase for 2012, bringing the total budget up to nearly $29.3 million.
Regional district property taxes are set to rise $933,000 this year to $17 million.
For Prince George home owners, the increase will mean a tax rate of $0.7456 per $1,000 assessed value. The City of Prince George collects property taxes on behalf of the regional district within city limits.
For an average home in Prince George valued at $214,484, that regional district tax will amount to $160 of the total property tax bill. In 2011, the average home in Prince George was valued at $211,954 and paid $146 in property taxes to the regional district.
"I really characterize this budget as a maintenance budget. We're maintaining the services residents want ... [and] doing it with an affordable, reasonable tax increase," board chairperson Art Kaehn said.
The biggest cost driver of the regional
district is providing solid waste services.
The regional district operates all the landfills in the district, including the Foothills Boulevard Regional Landfill in Prince George.
Rising landfill operating costs resulted in a $50 per tonne tipping fee increase in 2011. This year, the board has opted to maintain tipping fees at existing levels and meet the solid waste costs through taxation, Kaehn said.
The past several years the district's solid waste services have run deficits up to $750,000, he added.
"This year it is going to be zero," he said.
District administrator Jim Martin said the amount of taxes collected in each municipality and unincorporated area in the regional district differs, depending on which services the district provides in the region.
Taxes for district-wide services such as solid waste management, 911 call centre and administration are divided amongst the regions based on the total assessed value in the area.
Prince George pays the lowest regional district tax rate. The base tax rates per $1,000 assessed value for the rural areas surrounding Prince George are:
Electoral Area A (Salmon River and Lakes): $1.4524
Electoral Area C (Chilako River-Nechako): $1.445
Electoral Area D (Tabor Lake-Stone Creek): $1.6549
Electoral Area E (Woodpecker-Hixon): $1.7834
Electoral Area F (Willow River-Upper Fraser): $1.8589
Rural residents may pay additional taxes to the base rate, depending on what services are operated in their area.
