The RDEK Board adopted the 2024-2028 Five-Year Financial Plan at its Board Meeting on Friday, March 8,2024.
To view the adopted Five Year Plan and the Budget Snapshot click the links below:
- 2024 Budget Snapshot - A summary of the highlights of the adopted 2024 budget
- 2024-2028 Five-Year Financial Plan - ADOPTED - March 8, 2024
The RDEK provides over 115 different services, and the Financial Plan can be complex for residents to wade through. To help provide some of the highlights contained within the Financial Plan, we have developed a "Budget Snapshot" that provides an overview of some of the key elements contained within the Plan as it relates to 2024. The DRAFT plan and DRAFT snapshot can be found in the documents and downloads section and the updated Plan and Snapshot that reflect the adopted Plan will be posted by Wednesday, March 13.
ABOUT THE REGIONAL DISTRICT FUNDING MODEL IN BC:
One of the tricky parts about communicating (and understanding) the Financial Plan lies in the way Regional Districts work. Unlike a municipality that has one boundary and one set of taxpayers (where everyone within the municipal boundaries pays), Regional Districts in BC are based on service areas. So, for every one of the more than 100 services the RDEK offers, there is a boundary for that service area, and everyone within the service area pays for (and receives the benefit of) that service. What that means is that we have over 100 different “boundaries” with over 100 different sets of taxpayers. SO, WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH THE BUDGET?
Well, how the budget will impact you depends entirely on what part of the RDEK you live/own property in and what combination of services are offered there. For example, if you live in Electoral Area C everyone will pay the same rate for the line item on their tax notice called “Reg Dist East Kootenay Area C”, but people living in Gold Creek will also be paying for Cranbrook Rural Fire Protection. At the same time, people in Moyie (which is also in Area C) don't have fire protection, but they pay a different line item for Moyie Water.
Although the public comment period is now closed, our staff are happy to answer your questions related to RDEK services and how they impact you all year-round. So, if you have questions, please let us know. You can reach Chief Financial Officer Holly Ronnquist at hronnquist@rdek.bc.ca or 250-489-2791.