How do the projected taxes for Sorrento and Blind Bay compare to taxes in small municipalities elsewhere?

Caution needs to be exercised when answering this question because each community is different.  Each community has a different assessment base, a different number of road kilometers, a different amount of non-residential assessment, some unique services and ways of delivering services, a different population, and different service needs.  Local taxes in each jurisdiction will vary based on all of these differences.

Local taxes will also vary based on residents' expectations for services, demands for different service levels, ability to pay for services, and willingness to pay.  Locally-elected municipal councils make decisions and are held accountable for those decisions, based on all of these factors.

Local conditions and differences among communities notwithstanding, it can be useful to consider what homeowners in other small municipalities are paying in local property taxes.  The accompanying table presents a range of places in the BC Interior and shows the total local property taxes paid by the owner of a representative home in each.  All figures are from 2020 and include all property taxes paid for municipal services, regional district services, and provincial/other services (including police and school).  The figures do not include the Home Owner Grant (which would reduce the total amount owing in all cases), and do not include parcel taxes or user fees. 

The table shows the total projected property for a representative home ($400,000) in Sorrento-Blind Bay under both the incorporation and the Area C1 option.  These figures are also shown for Blind Bay without the Home Owner Grant, parcel taxes or user fees.  The figures assume a population of 4,550, which is below the 5,000 population-level after which a Sorrento-Blind Bay Municipality would become responsible for local policing.

Municipality
Assessed Value (Representative home)
Total Property Taxes (Actual 2020)
Armstong$414,548$3,302
Barriere    
$242,693    
$1,652
Chase$291,576$2,315
Clearwater$249,847$2,185
Enderby$314,039$2,159
Golden$321,339    
$2,677
Merritt    
$289,346    
$2,466
Revelstoke
$495,477$2,979
Salmon Arm    
$405,543    
$2,710
Sicamous
$330,132    
$2,691


Sorrento-Blind Bay
Assessed Value (Representative home)Total Property Taxes (Projected on 2020 figures)
Sorrento

Electoral Area C1$400,000$1,994
SBB Municipality$400,000$2,176


Note: the Sorrento home is slightly higher in both scenarios than the Blind Bay home because of some small differences in street lighting services.

Show All Answers

1. In the recent virtual presentation the Consultant stated that by year 7 there would be about $14 million in reserves. How will those reserves be funded?
2. Would residents in a new Sorrento-Blind Bay Municipality continue to receive the Home Owner Grant that they receive today in Electoral Area C?
3. Would local non-profit societies that benefit the community receive the same tax exemptions in a Sorrento-Blind Bay Municipality as they do today in Electoral Area C (and as they would in Area C1)?
4. How do the projected taxes for Sorrento and Blind Bay compare to taxes in small municipalities elsewhere?
5. The Local Roads Service Sheet, in Figure 5, shows two scenarios for road service costs. What additional services would be provided for the higher "Municipal Level Operations" budget?
6. How many admin staff would the municipality require? In one answer you state seven; then in another you state 15. Also, what admin positions are needed and what are the corresponding salaries for each
7. Why do all of the studies use a $400,000 average home price? If the average home price were $800,000 instead of $400,000 what would that change do to all of your examples in the documents? Would the i
8. If a person has commercial property in the proposed incorporation area from which they run a business, but their personal residential property is outside the proposed incorporation area, does that per
9. With the recent increase in RCMP salaries by an average of 23% across Canada, is the Committee planning to have the consultant revise the policing service sheets and tax notices?