MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY — County council has given first reading to the 2022 tax rate bylaw, which calls for tax rates to remain unchanged from 2021.
The move came during the March 23 council meeting, which was held in person and on Zoom.
The proposed residential rate is 2.9478, the non-residential rate is 10.497, the machinery ad equipment rate is 10.497, and the farmland rate is 8.3178. All rates are unchanged from 2021.
“Council chose to move forward with a zero per cent mill rate increase, so that means that we are 18 per cent lower on our mill rate than the average of our compared municipalities,” said Reeve Angela Aalbers.
“What that would mean to our average ratepayer is that 77 per cent of the residential property owners would see less than a $100 increase in their municipal tax bill and 75 per cent would receive a zero per cent municipal tax increase for non-residential,” she said.
“We are pretty happy with that and we feel that is a fair way of moving forward that still allows the municipality to continue with our long-term plans but also still allows us to continue with the services we are providing, which the delivery of services will be the same.”
There has been a market assessment increase in the county, predominantly in residential, of $160 million this year, she noted.
“About $127 million of that was actual market growth and $33 million of that was real growth,” she said.
Council will be bringing the tax rate bylaw back on April 13 for further consideration.
The county’s operating and capital budgets for 2022 have already been passed, but the passing of the final budget would include the tax rate bylaw and the final numbers on the school requisition, she said.
“The budget will be completely approved when the tax rate bylaw receives third reading,” she said. “We will bring it back to council on April 13 for second reading and if council is happy then they may move forward on third reading or they may choose to defer to another council meeting to do third reading.”
The budget in its final form will include all revenues and requisitions.
“We haven’t received final confirmation from the province on the school requisition, so that’s why the final budget, including the tax rate, may be passed on the 13th,” she said.
The 2022 requisitions have increased by $780,000, including a $190,000 increase in what the county will pay for provincial policing, which will total $712,500 this year.
“I think that is significant for our ratepayers,” she said.
All councillors were in attendance at the March 23 council meeting.
