Current Budget Update
On April 14, 2026, Council approved City of Kamloops Financial Plan Bylaw No. 16-331, 2026, setting the scheduled revenues and expenditures for the next five years. The final session of public engagement on the budget in January and February showed strong support for tax-cutting measures, which helped Council make decisions to bring the 2026 tax requirement down to $173.3 million, which is equal to a tax increase of 5.7%.
The final service level impacts from the approved budget include:
- increasing the vacancy allowance for RCMP members from 5% to 6.5%, and deferring the recruitment of five RCMP members for half of a year in 2026
- deferring hiring 10 Fire Station No. 6 firefighters, resulting in a full complement of staff in 2028 instead of in 2027
- reducing ground maintenance by changing the mowing frequency for passive turf areas, including passive areas within cemeteries, from every seven days to every 10 days
- eliminating all lawn mowing, flower beds, litter control, and weed control on non-City-owned land. (More information...)
- eliminating regular grading and dust suppressant activities on laneways in the spring and moving to a complaint-based response.
- moving to a complaint-based service level for non-regulatory signage maintenance and cleaning throughout the city
- Council committed to ongoing funding for the Community Climate Action Plan ($1.54 million this year), but without the scheduled 0.35% increase in 2026.
With the financial plan finalized and bylaws adopted, Council can proceed with 2026 property taxation. The tax rates are based on the revised BC Assessment Roll Report from March 2026 and the property tax requirements from the 2026 final budget figures. Tax rates are set as an amount per $1,000 of a property’s value.
General Budget Information
Each year, the City is required by legislation to develop a balanced budget and five-year financial plan to guide the delivery of essential programs and services—from clean drinking water and waste management to emergency first response.
Utilities (water, sanitary, solid waste, and recycling) have their own self-contained budgets, which Council approves before January 1 each year. Utility bills are issued to homeowners every quarter. Other operations, such as parking services and cemetery services, included in the General Fund operate similarly to the utilities. Their revenues are dedicated to their specific activities and are designed to avoid impacting property tax rates.
All other City revenues and expenses are detailed in the City’s annual budget, which helps determine the tax requirement and the property taxes collected from homeowners each July.
Each year during the budgeting process, the City also develops a five-year financial plan that forecasts the budget for projects—big and small—currently underway or expected to impact spending in the near future.
DID YOU KNOW
City Budget Videos
City and Budgeting Intro
How we Plan and Budget
How we fund the things we do
