Prince Albert City Hall. (Susan McNeil/paNOW)

By Susan McNeil

2024 property taxes

P.A. city council to look at 4% tax hike, commercial abatement

Mar 15, 2024 | 4:37 PM

The tax year of reckoning expected by municipalities, trying to return to normal following budget fluctuations during the pandemic, has arrived.

On Monday, Prince Albert city council will be presented with a proposed four per cent property tax hike on residential properties.

The staff memo recommends council increase the general municipal rate from 10.872 mills to 11.307 mills, a four per cent hike.

At the same time, the mill rate attached to libraries would reduce by almost three per cent from 0.682 mills to 0.662.

No changes are proposed to the civic facility levy of 0.470 mills, the minimum tax of $800 or the $1,600 minimum tax charged for vacant residential land.

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Commercial properties, which were hit hard several years ago by massive assessment increases, could see a break.

A one-time tax abatement for commercial taxes is proposed for those who are facing an increase larger than 10 per cent and if that increase is more than $1,000.

Staff are recommending an abatement of 50 per cent of the municipal increase.

Schools, libraries, or businesses in the Business Improvement District would not be eligible.

Any change in revenue is expected to be offset by changes to commercial assessment.

Municipalities have no ability to impact the amount of taxes levied by the province for schools, however.

The extra revenue is needed to pay for a 2024 city budget that increased by eight per cent.

Small changes look to be made to the series of special taxes such as an extra $3 for snow management and $5 more for the base tax to pay for general operations.

Numbers vary for muti-residential properties.

A reduction of 9.5 per cent is being asked for in the roadways special tax for commercial properties because the assessment changes are expected to cover their portion of the bill.

Downtown businesses in the BID area will see an increase in that levy to pay for the cost of downtown security patrols.

City council will look at these rates at their Monday executive committee meeting.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com