Taxes are collected from various property classes, such as agricultural, commercial, industrial, institutional and residential. Residential is the largest tax class and accounts for approximately 87 per cent of the city's property tax revenues.
Revenues and Spending
Where funding originates
Many Canadian cities receive revenues from property taxes, service/user fees and utility billing, and these are the City of West Kelowna's primary revenue sources, too.
Property taxes account for a little more than half of the city's revenue while grants, service/user fees, revenue from partnering governments and utility billing collectively account for the remaining revenue.
Service fees and other sources
The city also receives revenue from:
- Building and development permits.
- Business licences.
- Cemetery fees.
- Facility rentals.
- Fees for services provided to partnering governments.
- Fines and penalties.
- Grants from senior government or other funding organizations.
- Interest on investments and reserve fund savings.
- Recreational program fees.
- Utility companies.
Utility bills are sent quarterly to ratepayers and the funds collected specifically cover:
- Curbside garbage, recycling and yard waste collection.
- Sanitary sewers.
- Water treatment and distribution.
Where the funding goes
The City of West Kelowna provides high-quality, cost-effective community infrastructure, programs and services, which are covered by taxes, service fees, grants or other sources.
A balance must be achieved among the demands for services, the costs of providing them, and the ability to pay through taxation and various fees.
Infrastructure, programs and services
- Bylaw compliance and enforcement from taxes and service fees.
- Building services from taxes and service fees.
- Business licensing from taxes and service fees.
- Cemetery from taxes, service fees and sales.
- Development, planning and subdivisions from taxes, grants from senior government and service fees.
- Economic development from taxes and some grant funding.
- Facilities, rec programs and sports fields including aquatic centre, arenas and community centres from taxes, facility rentals, and program and user fees.
- Fire protection from taxes, service fees, and charges to partnering governments.
- Garbage, recycling and curbside collection from utility billing.
- Governance from taxes and service fees.
- Parks and trails from taxes and user fees.
- Policing from taxes and funding from senior government.
- Roads, sidewalks and transportation networks from taxes, while grants from senior government may help with some infrastructure projects.
- Sanitary sewers from utility billing.
- Streetlights from taxes.
- Transit from taxes, ridership fares and funding from BC Transit.
- Tourism from taxes.
- Water from utility billing, while grants from senior government may help with some infrastructure projects.
Collections for other governments
The City of West Kelowna collects funds on annual property taxes on behalf of other governments but transfers this revenue to the funding authority for the services that they provide.
Collections for other government services
- Asquith Road Transfer Station through a parcel tax.
- BC Assessment Authority.
- Central Okanagan Emergency Management through regional district taxes.
- Provincial school tax.
- Regional dog control and licensing including the dog pound through regional district taxes.
- Regional Hospital District taxes for partial funding of equipment and capital projects including debt to expand Kelowna General Hospital and other major health facilities.
- Regional parks through regional district taxes.
- Regional recycling program to Recycle BC.
- Regional solid waste reduction through a parcel tax.
- Regional wastewater treatment plant on Gellatly Road through regional district taxes.
- Sterile Insect Release Program through a parcel tax.
Sign up for City News and Alerts!
Stay up to date by subscribing to receive city news and alerts directly to your inbox.