Vernon City Hall
(CHARLOTTE HELSTON / iNFOnews.ca)
April 12, 2016 - 7:00 PM
VERNON - Vernon residents will notice a bit of an increase on their tax bill this year.
A majority of Vernon council voted for a 3.4 per cent residential increase at a meeting yesterday, April 11. For the average Vernon home, it will equate to an extra $41. The average residential value in Vernon is roughly $341,000, putting city taxes at an average of about $1,200.
Vernon city council looked at four tax rate options — with the lowest residential increase being $35 and the highest $94 — before settling on the $41.
Each option spread the tax rate out a little differently between residences and businesses, and while most of council felt the chosen option was fair, Coun. Brian Quiring wanted to see lower taxes for businesses. The option he preferred would have added $94 to the average homeowner’s bill.
“There’s still a lot of empty buildings in downtown Vernon and it’s hard on landlords to be able to carry them. They need help,” Quiring said.
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News from © iNFOnews, 2016