INNISFAIL – Innisfail mayor Barclay has once again gone against the rest of town council and voted no to special taxes for business owners along 61st Avenue and 37th Street in the town’s West Gate Industrial Park.
The special tax bylaw issue was brought to council’s regular meeting on March 27.
It was first introduced by the Town of Innisfail in 2021 as a means of cost recovery to recoup 15 per cent of paving costs for both industrial park roads, which for 37th Street totalled $500,455 and another $587,564 for 61st Avenue.
The formula called for both amounts to be broken out to the town over 15 years.
The 61st Avenue Special Tax Bylaw will generate a total amount of $88,134.75, with $5,875.64 paid annually to the town each of the following 15 years that started in 2021.
The 37th Street Special Tax Bylaw will generate at total amount of $75,068.25, with $5,004.55 also paid annually to the town each of the following 15 years that started in 2022.
Both special tax bylaws, which must be brought back to council every year for approval, were passed by town council after three readings.
However, like last year it was not unanimous. And like last year it was mayor Jean Barclay who opposed both.
“We've taken other gravel roads in the community and turned them into pavement and we haven't necessarily charged the people with the frontage,” Barclay told council. “I also believe that property taxes we pay goes to community infrastructure, and the industrial park is part of that community.
“I would really rather see that we build relationships with these stakeholders in the industrial park,” she added. “We've got some pretty big projects ahead; looking at maybe sponsorship and naming rights, and not do this kind of thing.”
Coun. Don Harrison wanted to know what was going to happen once current development in the newer area of the growing industrial park reaches the paving stage along property frontage.
The mayor said the new development was a different situation as paving will already be priced into the lots, which was not the case 25 years ago because roads were not paved.
“Another part of my argument is that both 61st Avenue and 37th Street will both be used even more by the new industrial park users,” said Barclay.
However, Coun. Gavin Bates weighed in on reasons why he was supporting approval for both special tax bylaws.
“With all of those lots down there the prices when they bought them reflected the level of development at the time, which was kind of minimal,” said Bates, adding there was “complete” consultation with property owners, with approval from a “vast majority” of them. “And only paving was even considered for this special tax.
“There was an equal amount of upgrading of the roads and ditches and everything else that wasn't even calculated in there.”
