Mill rate stays steady

Posted on: May 9, 2013September 21, 2017 Staff Writer

Sharon McLeay

Times Contributor

Residents will be happy to hear that property taxes will only rise by one to two per cent in 2013.

Every year, municipal councils, during their budgetary process, approve the amount of revenue required to operate the municipality. From this amount, they subtract the known revenues, such as grants, licences, permits and so on. The remainder represents the amount of money to be raised by property taxes.

For Strathmore the 2013 total estimated municipal revenues and transfers is $26,220,200. The municipal department revenues and school requisitions, and other transfers for 2013 are estimated at $16,571,555, leaving a balance of $9,648,665, which will be raised by taxes. The Province of Alberta shows that the total of all property assessments for the Town of Strathmore are valued at $1,632,754,646.

To get the tax mill rate: the amount of money needed to be raised by taxes is divided by the total value off all the property in the municipality and multiplied by 1,000.

For the breakdown of the various mill rates see the Town of Strathmore website under Bylaw 13-07. Council unanimously passed the 2013 mill rate bylaw, through all three and final readings.

Corporate Services Manager Mel Tiede did a sampling of 21 residences in Strathmore, comparing property values from last year to this year. It showed an average 1.1 per cent decline in property values and a tax increase of 1.1 per cent. Councillors asked if a comparison could be done on other municipalities, to see how Strathmore properties compare.

They said that residents are under the impression that they pay more taxes than other communities for their services. The results will be brought back to council for review.

LITTLE LOTS

Phase One of the West Creek development will convert 15.6 acres into 34 x 36-foot-wide lots, smaller than normal sized, for single detached or semi-detached housing. The area is situated just north of Westmount, south of the Strathmore Golf Course on the West of Wheatland Trail.

“The goal is to provide more affordable housing options for the citizens of Strathmore,” said MaryAnn Wade, senior development aid with West Creek Developments.

Wade indicated the West Creek development will help give a diversity of housing choices to potential buyers. The move will put the house density up to 6.3 units per acre, giving 974 houses. The area structure plan guidelines list the development must have no more than 6.5 units per acre and 1002 houses.

All council members passed second, third and final reading of the Bylaw 13-08.

Hwy 1 reporting

Councillor Bob Sobol asked council to consider including a regular report of RCMP Hwy. 1 monitoring activity in their Annual Performance Plan, which was passed on March 21, 2012.

The report lists Town priorities that they would like the RCMP to address. Priorities were listed as Service to the Public (with positive interactions between staff, police, and public), traffic enforcement and education, mischief-specifically vandalism and property damage reduction, reduction in theft and drug enforcement, project development, and education. Council approved approaching Strathmore Staff Sgt. Kevin Rielly about the addition.

10 or 20 years

Fortis, the Town of Strathmore’s energy provider, is looking for a renewal of their electrical system franchise agreement with the town. While the contract has no new energy rate changes, it is looking for a twenty-year commitment.

“I am concerned about a twenty-year term,” said Councillor Bob Sobol.

He said the contract had no early cancellation clause. CAO Dwight Stanford said that currently there is no other company available to choose from, but that a lot could change in five years. Council asked staff to take the contract back to legal, and check if an early cancellation clause could be developed. The contract comes back to Council on May 15.

Another three years

Six firms were encouraged to apply for the position of Town Auditor. Staff recommended Young Parkyn McNab, currently finishing a three-year term for the Town, as they came in at the lowest proposal of $18,250 per year plus a CPI factor of 5 per cent. Other professional services such as reports, audits, grant documents, or LAPP audits are not included in the agreement and will be engaged as needed. Council authorized the Mayor and the Chief Administration Officer to sign the letter of agreement to retain them as auditors for the Town.