INNISFAIL – Combined taxation and assessment notices will be mailed out to local property owners by April 21 following the Town of Innisfail council’s approval last week of the 2022 Property Tax Bylaw.
This year’s Property Tax Bylaw was introduced to town council at its April 11 regular meeting by Erica Vickers, the town’s director of corporate services.
Council was reminded there will be a two per cent tax increase this year, which was first announced last Dec. 13 when council approved the 2022 operating budget with the 2022 tax requirement of $11,000,058. That was based on assessment estimates by the town’s assessor last November.
The town received its official assessment last February and there was a slight overall assessment growth of 0.75 per cent, said Vickers’ report to council.
There was no discussion among council members following Vickers’ short presentation. However, mayor Jean Barclay reminded council that this year’s municipal tax hike is only the second one since 2015.
“We know there is added inflationary pressures to the municipality and we know the RCMP have a pay increase from a new labour agreement, and we have new projects on the go, like the new playground and outdoor rink,” said Barclay, noting provincial MSI grants to pay for municipal infrastructure projects is down 40 per cent from last year.
“It’s a significant decrease. We need to increase taxes a little bit to help with these (municipal) projects and all the other things that go on in town.”
Following three readings at the April 11 meeting, town council unanimously approved the 2022 Property Tax Bylaw.
Vickers said council’s approval of the bylaw had to wait this year until the provincial budget was passed and the town received the school requisitions.
She told council school mill rates changed for 2022 after being frozen for the last couple of years. Council was told there was an increase in the school requisition for 2022 of $62,069, which did affect the town’s budget.
“We collect that money and we pay that money directly back to the school boards,” said Vickers. “We don’t keep any of the money that we collect on the school fund or the Parkland Foundation or the Designated Industrial Properties mill rate. Those are requisitions from third parties.”
The town also had to wait for figures for the local Designated Industrial Properties, also known as DIP, that the province assesses on its own and passes that information on to the town.
Vickers said there are only four of this type in Innisfail, including a part of Johns Manville and the Innisfail Solar Farm. She said the town did not see the DIP mill rate until March 31.
“We are held up until we have all those other mill rates. Even though the mill rates come from a third party our council still has to ratify it in this bylaw,” she said.
With the 2022 Assessment and Taxation notices being sent out by April 21, residents will have 67 days to file an appeal on or before June 28.
Taxes must be paid without penalty on or before the June 30th deadline.
