Kimberley City Council and staff are deep in budget preparation at the moment, finalizing a financial plan that will be released in early May.
Draft budgets have been prepared but at their regular meeting on Monday evening, Kimberley City Council passed a resolution directing staff to prepare the 2016 Financial Plan with a projected tax increase of no more than 3.46 per cent. That would include a two percent general tax increase and 1.46 per cent for financing the flume project.
“We have had preliminary budget discussions,” said Mayor Don McCormick. “Staff have been directed to go back to the drawing board and come up with a plan that works within the resolution.”
McCormick says that most Kimberley residents already know about the 1.46 per cent to finance the flume project.
“That’s not a variable, most people are aware of that. However the two per cent is a variable. That basically represents our rate of municipal inflation. Two per cent is the maximum we are prepared to authorize this year. There may be additiona savings found there. We are still working very hard to keep the increase as low as possible, and it will be no more than 3.46 per cent.”