Penhold council approved the Taxation Bylaw in one fell swoop during its regularly scheduled meeting May 13.
Residents will see a slight increase in their 2013 tax bill, since the amount the town is required to collect on behalf of the province to cover school expenses will increase by between 1.25 and 1.75 per cent.
The municipal tax rate did not go up under the bylaw, which was approved unanimously, in contrast to last year when the whole tax bill increased 4.5 per cent.
To cover an overall budget of $9,095,387, given overall revenues of $6,003,222, staff will collect $3,093,636 through taxation this year.
“We've kept the mill rate for the municipal portion of the tax exactly the same as last year,” said Mayor Dennis Cooper, but noted the education requisition went up because it is based on the live assessment of homes within the community. “The houses in Penhold went up a little bit.”
With the construction of more houses the live assessment of property in the town jumped by $20 million.
“That's what our education tax is based on,” he said. “If a Penhold resident sees their taxes go up I suggest they call Municipal Affairs. We don't have any say in it.”
Tax collectors will go after $2,458,345 in municipal taxes, $630,122 in education taxes and $4,826 for the Parkland Foundation.
Residential taxes, not including vacant land, farmland, linear corridors or multi-unit residential, total $2,110,028 – 83.83 per cent of municipal taxes, not including requisition amounts.
Council also set tax payment penalties at four per cent instead of the previous rate of 12 per cent, in a separate motion approved unanimously at the meeting.
“We're not trying to make money on penalties,” he said. “For a simple mistake why should they have to pay a 12 per cent penalty?”
Earlier in the meeting council set June 17 at 7 p.m. as the time for a taxation and assessment open house for residents, with June 19 as an alternate date if necessary. Last year not a single resident attended the meeting to inquire about their assessment.
