City council started the deliberation process for the city’s 2014 budget with a series of high-level departmental overviews at three meetings last week.

Heads of different city departments presented their first draft budgets to council on Jan. 20, 21 and 22 to highlight any changes or developments.

No departments were seeking approval on their budgets at last week’s meetings. The next budget meetings will take place in mid-February and the final budgets will be approved in March.

The following is the Herald’s round-up of the initial department presentations to city council.

Property tax increase pegged at 2.5 per cent

Residential property owners in Merritt could see a 2.5 per cent increase in their property taxes to recoup city revenue lost in other areas of the 2014 budget.

City of Merritt financial services manager Ken Ostraat told council that although the first draft of the budget does not show an increase in property tax, there are a few items that will likely result in the need for a 2.5 per cent hike.

Tax revenues for 2014 will be $30,000 less than last year as a result of some changes in classes of properties, Ostraat said.

New costs the city will face in 2014 include a two per cent wage increase for CUPE workers with the City of Merritt – who are in the final year of their current contract – and a BC Hydro rate increase, which will come in April. The CUPE workers’ raise will cost $60,000 and BC Hydro costs will jump nine per cent, representing about $35,000 in 2014.

RCMP costs in 2014 will also increase, representing another $30,000, Ostraat told council.

“Just those four items by themselves will put us pretty darn close to that two and a half per cent increase [in property tax],” Ostraat said.

The tentative hike is similar to last year’s, which was 2.25 per cent.

Ostraat told council the city isn’t looking at changes to utility rates.

At the budget meeting on Jan. 21, Coun. Clara Norgaard suggested the city consider using electronic billing instead of paper mail to reduce costs.

As the process continues, city councillors will go through each department’s proposed budget line by line and request more information or changes as they see fit.

City council will vote on the final budgets in March after another round of meetings in February.

Merritt Fire Rescue Department

The biggest chunk of the proposed 2014 budget for the Merritt Fire Rescue Department will go toward fire hall enhancements and an expansion to house a new fire truck.

The $450,000 project will also give the fire hall a facelift in terms of new paint, new windows and improved lighting.

Inside the hall, the department is looking at replacing six sets of turnout gear, which are nearing the end of their 10-year lifespans and will run about $12,800.

The department is also planning to rewrite the community wildfire protection plan.

Fire Chief Dave Tomkinson told city council the plan was originally written by Tom Lacey in 2006, but Merritt has since left the clearing phase and entered the management phase of wildfire fuel management.

UBCM could give the department up to $15,000 in a grant to do that rewrite.

The MFRD is also looking at allotting $5,000 to build a permanent storage facility for the community’s supply of 25,000 sandbags, which are currently stored in the old concession building at Voght Park. Tomkinson told council that building is right in a potential flood path, so the department wants to relocate the sandbags to an area that’s high and dry.

Among other goals for the department in 2014 are increasing training, including putting on a community-wide CPR course; reviewing the emergency management plans for the airport and community; and addressing power supply issues.

IT expert needed

In 2013, the City of Merritt budgeted for an additional accounting clerk, but never followed through with hiring one. Ostraat told council that another accounting clerk was not needed and they should instead look at acquiring an in-house IT expert.

Check back at www.merrittherald.com on Feb. 4 for more information from budget deliberations.