By rdnewsNOW staff

budgets passed

No property tax rate increases this year in Lacombe County

May 19, 2020 | 1:26 PM

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and crashing oil prices, Lacombe County Council has approved the 2020 operating and capital budgets and tax rate bylaw that includes a 0% increase in municipal tax rates for all property classes.

“These are unprecedented times that we are living in, and Council did not want to increase taxes when many of our ratepayers are unsure about the future,” said Lacombe County Reeve Paula Law. “Maintaining the services our ratepayers expect is crucial, and Lacombe County continues to be focused on both reduced spending and smarter spending. We are fortunate to have reserves in place, to help offset any increases that may have been needed for the 2020 budget year to ensure that no changes in service levels are felt.”

New for 2020 is the provincial government’s decision to charge all municipalities for policing costs, starting with 10% this year. For 2020, the Policing Levy for Lacombe County is $299,201 and will show up separately from the other tax rates on the tax notice.

Education taxes will represent 49% of the 2020 tax bill for residential property owners in Lacombe County and 39% of the 2020 tax bill for non-residential property owners.

Based on the new rates, 2020 property taxes on a $400,000 residence in Lacombe County will be $2,096.04, which is an increase of $57.44 from 2019. Residential property owners who experienced a decrease in the market value of their properties of greater than 2.74% will see a reduction in their property taxes.

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The 2020 operating budget of $68,306,860 includes $12,727,170 in requisitions for the Lacombe Foundation requisition, designated industrial property requisition, and the Alberta Education Requisition. In addition to including the final requisition estimates, several minor changes have been made to the operating budget as part of this final approval. Highlights of the Operating Budget include:

• Reduced revenues to reflect reduction of Provincial Agriculture Services Board Grant ($46,040)

• Inclusion of additional funding from tax rate stabilization reserve to fund budget shortfall ($328,890)

• Reduction in wage expenses from deferring filling of vacant positions ($505,350)

• Additional grant to other organizations of $56,000

• Reduction in culvert expenses due to lower than expected tender price ($30,370)

Council also approved the capital budget of $33,546,220, and highlights include:

• Increase in road projects of $6.652 million.

• Increase of $861,020 for bridge projects, including both replacements and engineering.

• Equipment and vehicle replacements increase by $242,300.

• West QEII utility servicing increased by $5.69 million.

• Accounting and Records Management Software purchases are a carry-over project from 2019.Boiler replacement for County administration building ($35,000)

In 2020, the property tax payment deadline has been extended to September 30, 2020 to better align with the education requisition deadline for non-residential properties.

(media release)