Sports Centre broached as site for paying property taxes as work at City Hall continues

NEWS/ CITY HALL — What do you do when 9,000 people want to pay their taxes at City Hall but there’s a huge road construction project going on just outside the front door?

You find some other place where people can pay.

While many Kamloops residents pay their annual property taxes in other ways, many others prefer making the trek into City Hall to pay in person by the July 2 deadline.

Work started in April on utility upgrades and beautification centering on the Lorne Street-Victoria Street-Lansdowne Street intersection and City staff have been looking for a way to handle the annual tax-payment rush during July.

They’ve settled on the McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre as the best place based on accessibility, availability, timing and functional work space.

It’s accessible by walking, public transit, vehicle or bicycle, and parking is free, a report to City council from finance director Sally Edwards points out.

It could even result in doing it again in future years, depending on how well it goes.

City council will be asked to approve the idea at its meeting today. A communication strategy would be worked out to let the public know about it.