Businesses to see increase in taxes

Businesses in Turner Valley will see a tax hike while most residential tax bills will drop for 2017.

Town council voted at its May 15 meeting to maintain its municipal tax rate.

However, many businesses in town will pay more in taxes compared to 2016, in spite of a drop in value for many properties in town, the 7.9 increase in provincial education tax combined with the exclusion of some provincial properties from having to pay the levy.

Meanwhile, an increase of 23 new homes built in Turner Valley last year will see most homeowners paying less, despite the education requisition increase.

“The provincial education requisition for non-residents is spread over fewer areas whereas the residences are spread out over more,” Theresa O’Brien, Turner Valley corporate services and finance manager, told Town council on May 15. “The only impact you are going to see for the education (requisition) is a bit of an increase for non-residential. The impact is not enormous.”

O’Brien provided council with documentation that shows a business assessed at $540,100 in 2016 experiencing a drop in value of $7,700, resulting in $6 less in municipal taxes and a $174 increase in provincial education tax for the year.

A house worth $387,200 in 2016 would see a drop in value of $100, resulting in a $1 decrease in municipal taxes and $25 reduction in provincial education taxes.

Town council approved its 2017 operating budget of $5.91 million and capital budget of $8.61 million in December.

The budget takes into account $6.8 million worth of flood-related projects including placing rip rap in front of the water treatment plant and replacing one of the wells lost in the 2013 flood.

Expenses for capital projects are covered by Municipal Sustainability Initiative funding, grants and reserve funds.

To cover the one per cent increase in Turner Valley’s operating budget, administration is drawing $64,326 from the Tax Stabilization Reserve. O’Brien said there is $101,000 remaining in the reserve and about $30,000 will go back in.

Mayor Kelly Tuck said the Town of Turner Valley has maintained a zero increase in taxes the past three years.

“I’m sure there are people who would like to see a reduction, but everything goes up every single year and we all know that,” she said. “Administration and council worked really hard to ensure that we came back at zero percent. That’s what we really strive to do.”

Tuck said council and administration are aware that times are tough economically for both residents and merchants.

“This is a time when people are struggling,” she said. “We all know there’s a cost to do business. We always ask that they look at the operations to make sure they’re as tight as they can be and we’re always putting money away to ensure infrastructure can be done. You can’t keep going back to the ratepayers, especially in today’s economy.”

New projects slated for this year will improve both recreation and safety in the community, said Tuck.

The Town has allocated $32,000 to install crosswalk lights at Seclusion Valley and put up more street and speed limit signs throughout the community. It’s also allocated $38,000 to purchase emergency equipment.

Another $100,000 has been directed to parks, playgrounds and pathways.

Tuck said there is a need to add more playgrounds and community gardens, The plan is to build gardens in various subdivisions rather than having one larger one like Black Diamond and Okotoks.

“The town owns land within some of the subdivisions where people could walk to their plot within their areas and have their own community gardens,” she said. “It’s being looked at as an ongoing project.”

Two new pathways are also slated for construction this year – one on Main Street connecting Okalta Drive to Millennium Park and another through the Turner Valley Golf Club grounds, said Tuck.

“We’re working with the golf course right now to continue the pathway and ensure it’s safe,” she said.

Infrastructure work totaling $279,500 is planned for Main Street south of the four-way stop, including water and sewer replacements and widening the road, Tuck said.