Kelowna taxes to rise 4.15 per cent in 2020

Kelowna city council has approved a provisional 4.15 per cent increase in taxes for 2020.

That works out to an increase of $86 a year for an average single-detached home.

The city plans to hire 11 more RCMP officers next year.

That’s beyond the seven members city staff recommended, but on track with a recent consultant’s report that suggested 56 officers should be added to the detachment over the next five years.

The additional officers pushed the 2020 municipal tax increase from 3.9 per cent to 4.15 per cent.

The 2020 provisional budget also increases funding for beach and downtown cleaning.

The beach cleaning budget will rise $52,000 to $168,000 and the downtown litter control budget will rise $35,000 to $95,000.

Next year’s budget also earmarked $4.5 million for the initial development of pandosy waterfront park on city owned properties north of cedar avenue.

Carryover requests will be presented to council in March and the final tax demand increase will be decided by council in April of 2020.