Sundre property owners could owe more than $3.5 million once municipal tax bills are mailed later this spring.
The total so far includes approximately $2.55 million to support municipal operations, $959,251 in provincial education tax, as well as a senior's housing requisition, said Wanda Watson-Neufeld, the town's director of corporate services.
The exact dollar amount and how much each individual property owner will owe won't be confirmed until council passes the 2012 tax rate bylaw.
Consideration of the bylaw is expected April 10, said Watson-Neufeld, the town's director of corporate services.
Town council just finished making several adjustments to the budget it passed in January.
Despite needing more money for the increased budget expenditures it passed last Monday night, town council chose to hold the line on its estimated 6.04 per cent residential and 8.35 per cent commercial tax increases.
Faced with cutting street improvements or increasing tax rates even more, council chose to pay for the additions by using reserves and surplus, she said.
“It's to not have to increase taxes as much,” said Watson-Neufeld.
New expenditures in the budget inlcude $10,000 for a 2012 municipal census, and an increased amount budgeted for insurance and IT support. As well, some expenditures were decreased because of an increase in grant funding.
The Town of Sundre's combined operating and capital budget for this year now sits at $17,378,280 - $10,548,080 for operating and $6,830,200 for capital.
Property owners are on the hook for $2,553,727 of that, an increase of $6,755 over what was approved in January.
Sundre property taxpayers will also be shelling out $93,720 or 11 per cent more this year in education property taxes than they did in 2011 bringing the total 2012 school levy to $959,251.
“Everything we collect goes directly to the province,” said Watson-Neufeld.
