Community Spotlight: City of Merritt, British Columbia

Update: 2025-09-03

Description

Welcome to Municipal Affairs.

In local government, some of the hardest decisions are the ones residents notice most—in their tax bill. And while it’s tempting to keep those numbers low year after year, the reality is that doing so can quietly drain a community’s financial health. Eventually, reserves shrink, critical projects are delayed, and the future gets harder to fund.

In Merritt, British Columbia, the conversation about finances took a bold turn. As CAO Cynthia White explains, her senior leadership team recommended—and Council ultimately backed—a significant tax increase of more than ten percent, along with utility rate adjustments, over the last two years.

The result? The city has stopped using reserves to fund day-to-day operations and has started saving for the capital projects that can’t be put off forever.

Today, we’re talking with Cynthia White and Mayor Mike Goetz about how administration and council worked together to make that choice, what it took to convince the community, and how Merritt is proving that it is possible to move the needle in the right direction.

This is our Community Spotlight for the month, and it’s a story about financial courage, long-term thinking, and the power of a united approach to building a stronger future.

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