DAWSON CREEK -- The City of Dawson Creek is clarifying misinformation released last week on an increase in property tax.
According to a media report from the Dawson Creek Chamber of Commerce, residents in Dawson Creek were facing a 10 percent tax hike next year. However, Mayor Darcy Dober is now challenging that information. “We have a budget assumption report that got put forward. We budgeted a three per cent increase on property tax and then a 1.5 per cent paving levy.”
The decision to increase property tax for homeowners was made after public consultations and assessment reports. The mayor also says the increase is due to a lack of funding for capital projects. “The main reason why we're doing the three and the 1.5 per cent is we have some Peace River Agreement Funding that comes from the provincial government, which is for capital expenditures. Right now, a big portion of that is being used for the operations of the city. So our goal is to get it back where the bigger portion of that is actually is to capital project.”
Dober says the city has not seen a tax increase for many years, which has put a strain on the city’s finances.
We reached out to the Dawson Creek and Area Chamber of Commerce. They did not want to be interviewed at this time; however, they do say, they’re reassessing their position on the story.
Correction:
This story has been updated to reflect that 'a media story from the "Dawson Creek Chamber of Commerce" called into question a 10 percent property tax hike for residents of Dawson Creek. We mistakenly said "a media story from Fort St. John" in our initial reporting and we apologize for any confusion this may have caused.
