The average Prince George homeowner may not notice much of a difference on the regional district portion of their tax bill.
On Thursday afternoon, the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George approved their 2014 budget and five-year financial plan.
Board chairman Art Kaehn said the 2014 budget is a delicate balance between meeting the needs of residents in the region while keeping taxation manageable.
"We are pleased to be able to work within a budget that is consistent with 2013 requisition levels," Kaehn said in a press release.
The budget affects each community in the regional district differently, depending on which services they receive and how they fared with the year's B.C. Assessment roll.
The villages of Valemount and McBride are once again on the highest end of the taxation spectrum, with homeowners paying $396.28 and $457.70 per $100,000 of assessed value, respectively.
Prince George homeowners will pay $67.90 per $100,0000 of assessed value in 2014 or roughly $152.05 for an average home. That's down 70 cents from last year.
The $32.2 million operating budget covers 86 services to the seven electoral areas and member municipalities - Prince George, Mackenzie, McBride and Valemount.
Operating expenses are about $416,000 less than in 2013, but the amount of the budget funded through property tax ($17.7 million) increased by $253,620 over the previous year.
The year's biggest cost drivers include solid waste management ($10.28 million), the 911 emergency response service ($5.1 million), protective services ($4.4 million) and recreation services ($2.86 million).
The other regional district taxes, per $100,000 of assessed value are:
Area A: $130.72
Area C: $142.62
Area D: $164.92
Area E: $167.77
Area F: $174.59
Area G: $120.05
Area H: $ 137.03
(Amounts for electoral areas only include services paid for by the whole area.)
In Mackenzie, where assessment values increased by more than 11 per cent, taxes went up to $94.04 per $100,000 of assessed value, compared to $81.57 in 2013. Overall, property assessments in the regional district increased by an average of 3.4 per cent, compared to 5.4 per cent in 2013.
