Eckville Town Council passed the 2019 Property Tax Rate Bylaw on June 24.
At the recent general meeting Council unanimously voted to pass Bylaw 735-19, which authorizes “the rate of taxation to be levied against assessable property within the Town of Eckville for the 2019 taxation year.”
The bylaw was prepared based on an estimated two per cent increase in municipal tax rate.
It works out to an increase of 1.96 per cent for municipal (residential) properties and 1.59 per cent for non-residential on the total tax rates.
The Management Report from the June 24 Council package says it “amounts to an increase of $23.43 per 100,000 of residential assessment and $28.57 per 100,000 of non-residential assessment.”
Council also voted unanimously on an amendment to the 2019 Operating Budget in order to accommodate the approximate two per cent increase.
A final transfer of $10,000 will be made from the Tax Stabilization Reserve to the 2019 Town of Eckville Operating Budget.
At the meeting Council also voted to approve an extension of the walking trail and an overlay project.
The projects were awarded to Border Paving Ltd. of Red Deer.
For the walking path, the new trail will cross 54th Avenue just west of the Emergency Services Building proceeding along the south side of the retention pond (dog park).
It will then go north along the west side of the dog park and proceed north to the Westview subdivision ending at 59th Street.
The trail will be a paved 8 feet or 2.5 metres wide and the total project will not exceed the price of $95,605.
The overlay project will form a “T” at the north end of 53rd Street and the east end of 59th Avenue.
The project cannot not cost more than $82,260.
Once started the overlay project will be completed in stages with concrete repairs first followed by the asphalt overlay.
There is no definite start date for the projects as of now, but the Town’s engineers think the trail project will begin first.
Additionally, three properties on the tax arrears list will go up for public auction on Aug. 21 at 2 p.m. at the Town of Eckville Council Chambers.
The properties offered for sale are in arrears from the 2017 taxation year or prior.
There will be a reserve bid set on the properties based on an assessment by Wild Rose Assessment Services.
The properties are offered for sale on an “as is, where is” basis, according to the Request to Council for Decision in the June 24 Council package.
The property described as Lot 14, Block 4, Plan 6117AQ has a reserve bid set at $107,310; Lots 15, Block 4, Plan 6117AQ’s reserve is set at $143,880; and a reserve of $75,780 is set for the property described as Unit 23, Lot 10, Block 20, Plan 8920768.
The next regular scheduled Town Council meeting is July 22.
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