The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George board of directors approved Thursday a $57.8-million budget for 2022.
Of that total, $20.6 million will be funded through property taxation, an increase of $535,414 or 2.67 per cent over 2021.
The rest will be covered out of grants, user fees and reserve funds.
Taxpayers in Prince George will cover the largest amount of the requisition at nearly $8 million and up $144,251 from 2021.
Next highest is Electoral Area G (Crooked River-Parsnip) at $1.52 million, up $32,342, Electoral Area D (Tabor Lake-Stone Creek) at $1.25 million, up $40,444, Electoral Area H (Robson Valley-Canoe) at $1.18 million, up $36,774, Electoral Area C (Nechako River-Chilako) at $985,990, up $21,438, Electoral Area A (Salmon River-Lakes) at $831,915, up $14,982, Valemount at $700,892, down $13,543, Electoral Area F (Willow River-Upper Fraser Valley) at $469,475, up $5,710, Mackenzie at $381,539, down $34,090, Electoral Area E (Woodpecker-Hixon) at $332,853, down $9,547, and McBride at $312,679, down $6,600.
The rate per $100,000 of assessed property value went down in all municipalities and electoral areas but may not translate into a decline in the bill for a typical household as assessed values rose by a combined 18.14 per cent.
In Prince George the rate will be $44.23 per $100,000, down $5.33, in Mackenzie, it will be $51.88, down $5.64, in Valemount it will be $224.31, down $34.95, and in McBride, it will be $348.64, down $33.27.
For the electoral areas, the rate for Electoral Area A (Salmon River-Lakes) will be $98.76, down $13.90, Electoral Area C (Nechako River-Chilako) will be $107.92, Electoral Area D (Tabor Lake-Stone Creek) will be $116.93, down $24.80, Electoral Area E (Woodpecker-Hixon) will be $132.74, down $18.93, Electoral Area F (Willow River-Upper Fraser Valley) will be $125.31, down $15.94, and Electoral Area H (Robson Valley-Canoe) will be $110.51, down $14.08.
At $23.1 million, solid waste management remains the biggest line item in the budget, followed by the 911 emergency response service at $8 million, protective services at $7.3 million and recreation and culture at $5 million.
“In 2022 we are moving forward with strategic investments in capital projects like the Foothills Boulevard landfill entrance relocation and managing rising costs related to regulatory requirements and inflation," board chair Art Kaehn said in a statement.
