Committee of the Whole Meeting - January 20, 2026

City Hall front exterior

Delegation - Kamloops & District Chamber of Commerce

Acacia Pangilinan, Executive Director and Alp Isin, Director, Kamloops & District Chamber of Commerce, provided feedback from the Chamber regarding the City of Kamloops budget.

Pangilinan noted that the Chamber heard from businesses in over a dozen sectors that are highly exposed to cost increases and well positioned to speak to how municipal tax decisions affect business sustainability, employment, and economic growth. The delegation conveyed that, when polled in December 2025 (when the provisional tax rate was 10.76%), 84% of its member respondents said that there would be a moderate or significant impact on their businesses.

When asked what kinds of budget adjustments Chamber members would support, respondents indicated they supported improving efficiency and cost control in municipal operations, prioritizing essential services, and reducing non-essential spending.

View the presentation within the Committee of the Whole meeting slide deck. 

Capital Planning, Prioritization, and Community-Initiated Requests

Darren Crundwell, the City’s Integrated Asset Services Divisional Manager, provided the Committee of the Whole with an update on the City’s capital planning and prioritization process, including the development of a framework for handling community-initiated project requests.

Over the past few years, City Administration has been strengthening the capital planning process, focusing on prioritizing projects and improving coordination across the organization.

Crundwell summarized the benefits of improved capital planning and prioritization, what success looks like, and the results of a prioritization pilot conducted in 2025 to test processes, tools, and data to understand what works well and what needs improvement for the 2027 planning cycle and beyond.

The improved capital planning and prioritization process, along with a formal community-initiated project request process, should be ready to present for the 2027 budget cycle.

Community-Initiated Project Request - Westsyde Centennial Skateboard Park

Ashley Ekelund, the City’s Social and Community Development Supervisor, provided the Committee of the Whole with an update on a community-initiated project request to develop a skateboard park in Westsyde Centennial Park, led by the Westsyde Community Development Society.

In 2022, the Westsyde Community Development Society proposed building the skateboard park. Since then, the society hired a skateboard park designer, conducted preliminary community engagement, completed a conceptual design, and identified additional studies needed before detailed design and cost estimates could proceed. To date, the society has covered all associated costs through community fundraising.

A skateboard park at Westsyde Centennial Park is not included in the Parks Master Plan; however, given community interest and the potential for the Westsyde Community Development Society to fundraise to cover construction costs, this project could be advanced, pending Council approval, further feasibility, and site work.

The Committee of the Whole recommended that Council direct staff to: 

  • work with the Westsyde Community Development Society to assess the feasibility of a skateboard park at Westsyde Centennial Park, following the guidelines of the new community-initiated project framework launching in 2026
  • report back to Council with recommendations on the proposed skateboard park at Westsyde Centennial Park before the 2027–2031 Financial Plan is finalized
     

View the full report.
View the presentation within the Committee of the Whole meeting slide deck.
Contact for further information:
Ashley Ekelund | aekelund@kamloops.ca 

Kamloops Interagency Supports Table

Lisa Gammel, the City’s Community Services Supervisor - Training and Support Services, and Karina Laitres, the City’s Social Development and Housing Supervisor, informed the Committee of the Whole about the newly created Kamloops Interagency Supports Table.

The Kamloops Interagency Supports Table officially began meeting in November 2025. This collaborative, multi-agency initiative is designed to provide rapid, coordinated support to individuals and families experiencing acutely elevated risk—situations where harm is likely without timely intervention.

The Kamloops Interagency Supports Table supports all demographics in our community that meet these criteria, such as youth, families, women fleeing violence, and seniors. Currently, it includes 23 participating agencies and 65 trained professionals. Each participating member completed an average of eight hours of online training followed by three hours of in-person training.

Neighbourhood 30km/Hour Reduced Speed Pilot Program

Purvez Irani, the City’s Transportation Manager, provided the Committee of the Whole with a summary of the previous report provided to the Livability and Sustainability Select Committee for a 30 km/hour Reduced Speed Pilot Program in two neighbourhoods, along with an alternative option for the Committee of the Whole’s consideration.

In July 2025, Council directed staff to investigate a pilot program. A technical review and criteria analysis were used to identify two proposed candidate neighbourhoods: McDonald Park and Sagebrush.

A pilot program could be implemented in two phases. Phase 1 includes signage, education, data monitoring, and enforcement, while Phase 2 introduces physical traffic calming measures if there is high non-compliance in Phase 1. A traffic calming policy would need to be completed before implementing any traffic calming measures.

During the Committee Reports portion of the meeting, Manager Irani spoke to the alternative to the Reduced Speed Pilot Program.

This alternative focuses solely on a traffic calming policy to address speed-related issues in neighbourhoods through traffic calming measures on localized neighbourhood street sections. Physical traffic calming measures have been shown to have a greater and more sustained impact on vehicle speeds. 

  • The Committee of the Whole defeated the recommendation to move forward with the 30 km/hour Reduced Speed Pilot Program. Instead, a motion was passed to direct staff to develop and bring forward a traffic calming policy for Council’s consideration.

2026–2030 Five-Year Financial Plan and Budget

Dustin Rutsatz, the City’s Planning and Procurement Manager, provided the Committee of the Whole with a review of items staff identified as potential tax savings for the 2026–2030 Five-Year Financial Plan.

In December 2025, Administration presented Council with over 35 potential reductions, changes, or eliminations to the annual operating budget, aiming to reduce the provisional property tax rate of 10.76%.

At that time, the discussion reflected one of several desired paths forward: build into the budget, bring forward for consideration, or do not consider. Subsequently, the budget was reworked, resulting in an initial reduction of 1.36%, which reduced the tax rate to 9.40%.

Items Brought Forward for Consideration

Council had requested that items brought forward for consideration reflect a deeper analysis of the initiative, its impact, and other anticipated costs or impact on the organization. The Committee of the Whole provided direction to staff on the following items:

RCMP Contract Vacancy/Contingency Percentage Adjustment

The current budget includes a 5.0% vacancy rate to offset the RCMP police services contract costs. 

  • The Committee of the Whole directed staff to increase the vacancy/contingency percentage by 1.5%, which reduces the 2026 budget by $500,000 but does not impact RCMP staffing levels.

Fire Station No. 6 Staffing Hiring Deferral

The current budget includes 10 additional firefighters funded in 2026 and 10 more in 2027 to fully staff Fire Station No. 6 as a career fire station. 

  • The Committee of the Whole directed staff to only add five firefighters in both 2026 and 2027 and to defer the remaining 10 firefighters to 2028, reducing the 2026 budget by $987,600.

RCMP Deferral

The current budget includes 50% of the RCMP increase that was deferred from 2025, plus five new RCMP members for 2026. 

  • The Committee of the Whole directed staff to again defer the 50% increase to 2027, and hire the members in the latter part of 2026, reducing the 2026 budget by $821,000. This allows for an increase of five RCMP members in the latter half of the year.

Non-Playing Fields Service Level 

  • The Committee of the Whole directed staff to decrease the service level by decreasing the mowing frequency for passive turf spaces (including cemeteries) from every seven days to every 10 days, reducing the 2026 budget by $190,000.

Non-City Land Maintenance Service Level

Currently, the City conducts lawn mowing, litter control, weed control, and flower bed maintenance at Ministry of Transportation and Transit highway interchanges, as well as lawn maintenance on Hugh Allan Drive adjacent to the Gloaming Ridge subdivision. 

  • The Committee of the Whole directed staff to decrease the service level by eliminating all maintenance on Ministry of Transportation and Transit highway interchanges and other non-City-owned land, reducing the 2026 budget by $120,000.

Spring Lane Maintenance Service Level

Currently, the City conducts regular grading and dust suppressant activities on laneways in the spring. 

  • The Committee of the Whole directed staff to decrease the service level by eliminating regular activity and moving to a complaint-based response, reducing the 2026 budget by $130,000.

Sign Maintenance Service Level

Currently, the City regularly maintains and cleans non-regulatory signs. 

  • The Committee of the Whole directed staff to decrease the service level by moving to a complaint-based response model for maintaining and cleaning non-regulatory signs, reducing the 2026 budget by $140,000.

Community Climate Action Plan Funding Level

The Community Climate Action Plan funding initiative was launched in 2021 to fund the implementation of the eight “Big Moves” identified in the plan. At that time, Council adopted a 0.35% annual property tax increase to build a reserve supporting these climate goals. 

  • The Committee of the Whole directed staff to pause the Community Climate Action Plan funding for 2026, reducing the 2026 budget by $567,000. This change keeps the 2026 reserve contribution at $1.5 million, which is the same as the 2025 contribution.

Billing the Provincial Government for Stuart Wood School Costs

Stuart Wood Elementary School officially closed its doors permanently at the end of the 2015/2016 school year. The Province owns the building, yet it provides no funding to the City to support the ongoing maintenance, repairs, and upkeep required for the building and grounds. The property continues to serve several purposes, including supporting the local farmers’ market, providing shelter space, and offering playground opportunities for children in daycare. 

  • The Committee of the Whole directed staff to continue providing the current maintenance levels but to eliminate the City’s maintenance costs on Stuart Wood School by billing the Province, reducing the 2026 budget by $110,000.

The total budget reduction from the Committee of the Whole direction on items brought forward for consideration amounts to a new provisional tax rate of 7.21%.

Future Changes for Consideration

Future changes to a number of items that do not impact the 2026 financial period but do impact the 2026–2030 Five-Year Financial Plan were also considered. The Committee of the Whole provided direction for Council to direct staff to: 

  • bring forward a report to a future Committee of the Whole meeting that outlines the proposed cost structure and corresponding fee structure for 2027 business licences
  • bring a report to a future Committee of the Whole meeting on the 2026–2035 Development Costs Charges program, including options for consideration related to assist factors
  • bring a report forward to a future Council meeting that outlines the agreement with BC Transit, including the service agreement and modifications to the existing rate increase plan
  • bring a report forward to a future Committee of the Whole meeting that provides a review of all existing development permits and identifies opportunities to introduce new permits for the 2027 financial year
  • bring a report forward to a future Council meeting on updates to the overall City parking plan, proposed rates, and schedule

Supplemental Budget Items

The Committee of the Whole was not expected to decide on the direction of the supplemental budget items at this meeting. All supplemental budget items will be voted on at the February 10, 2026, Committee of the Whole meeting.