The RDEK Board of Directors will review the DRAFT 2026-2030 Financial Plan on February 11, 2026.
A copy of the DRAFT plan can be found in the Key Documents section of this page. Early the week of February 17, a "Snapshot" will also be posted providing highlights of the 2026 budget.
The budget process starts annually in September of the prior year with staff updating the financial plan and meeting with the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer. There are also meetings with Electoral Area Directors, Commissions, and other parties. This process takes several months and leads to the development of the DRAFT Five-Year Financial Plan. The Draft Plan is reviewed by the Board, their requested changes are incorporated and the plan is shared with the public for review and comment.
A public comment period will open early in the week of February 17, 2026. Please check back for the link to the comment period and to view the "Snapshot".
The Five-Year Financial Plan is generally adopted at the March Board Meeting each year.
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 Wardner (which is also in Area C) don't have fire protection, but they pay a different line item for Wardner Street Lighting.
The budget process starts in September for the following year, with staff updating the financial plan and meeting with the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer. There are also meetings with Electoral Area Directors, Commissions, and other parties. This process takes several months and leads to the development of the DRAFT Five-Year Financial Plan.
The DRAFT Plan is presented to the Board each year during a Special Budget Meeting. During this meeting and the February Committee and Board Meetings the following two days, the Board suggests changes and revisions to the DRAFT Plan.
Following the February Board Meeting, the Chief Financial Officer enters the requested changes into an updated DRAFT Plan. The Plan is then posted and a public comment period opened.
The Board reviews the Financial Plan during its monthly meetings in March and adopts the Plan at the March Board Meeting annually.
