The City of Kamloops is inviting residents to attend an in-person budget update on Monday, January 26, 2026, 6:00–8:00 pm, at the McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre (1655 Island Parkway). The update will outline significant efforts by City staff and Council to reduce the 2026 tax requirement following a provisional budget released last November that projected a tax increase of more than 10%.
“We know the provisional budget report raised a lot of eyebrows,” said Dustin Rutsatz, the City’s Planning and Procurement Manager. “We are glad to see that many of our early projections were indeed conservative and want to assure residents that we hear them as we continue to consider ways to keep taxes low while investing in our city’s future.”
On January 20, the City shared the latest budget information with the Committee of the Whole with the latest budget projections, and the committee discussed options for moving forward. The public update on January 26 will be an opportunity for residents to absorb the same information and engage by showing their level of support on nine proposed items to reduce the 2026 budget.
The January 26 in-person event will not be live streamed. The evening presentation will start at 6:00 pm followed by a open-house style format to engage one-on-one directly with Councillors and staff. Residents who cannot attend can review the same information in the January 20, 2026, report to the Committee of the Whole.
An online participation option will be available from January 26 to February 6, 2026, at LetsTalk.Kamloops.ca/Budget2026. During this period, residents can share their level of support for the nine proposed budget items intended to reduce the 2026 budget. The feedback collected both in-person and online will be provided to City Council to help inform their 2026 budget decisions.
The next budget report will be presented to the Committee of the Whole on Tuesday, February 10, 2026
The City’s budget and Five-Year Financial Plan guide the delivery of essential programs and services—from clean drinking water and waste management to emergency first response. Once the budget is set, property tax rates are calculated based on the approved tax requirement, with taxes due in early July. Learn more about the budgeting process at LetsTalk.Kamloops.ca/Budget2026.
