Richard Froese
South Peace News
Municipal tax rates in Falher have increased by just over three per cent.
At its regular meeting May 3, council adopted its mill rate bylaw for 2022.
“This year’s mill rate is an increase of 3.6 per cent,” CAO James Bell says.
Council raised the mill rate for municipal taxes for residential and farmland to .013599 from .013083.
The mill rate for non-residential property increases to .017501 from .016837.
Council updated its mill rates after adopting its operating budget of $2,890,605 at a meeting May 2.
“It represents an an increase in spending of .11 per cent,” Bell says.
Expenses include non-cash items such as reserves and amortization.
Last year, council adopted a budget to assist people feeling the effects of the economy impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, he says.
“This resulted in keeping our tax rates essentially flat, an increase of 0.3 per cent to the tax rates,” Bell says.
“In 2022, however, in order to maintain service levels, council had to approve a modest increase.”
He says council wants to lighten the tax burden.
“Council, of course, tries to keep tax rate increases to a minimum and was satisfied that, on average, increases for residential taxpayers have been kept to less than three per cent, “Bell says.
He notes significant changes to the education property tax have been made by the provincial government.
In Falher, the residential tax for residential and farmland property increased by five per cent and decreased for non-residential property by more than six per cent.