Battleford has set its mill rate for this year slightly higher than last year's, resulting in about $30 more per $100,000 assessment in property.
The mill rate will be 4.15, up from 3.85 last year. The base tax of $890 for residential and agricultural classes and a base tax of $1,780 for commercial and industrial classes will remain the same as last year. In addition, the minimum tax on all vacant land has been increased from $300 last year to $325.
Mayor Derek Mahon said Tuesday as council passed this year's budget that this is the first increase in the mill rate during this council's mandate, which includes 2013 and 2014.
The budget resolution was passed by a vote of four to three, with Mayor Mahon and Councillors Susan McLean Tady, Gordon Yarde and Shelly Boutin-Gervais voting for the resolution and Councillors David George, Ames Leslie and Doug Laing against.
Following the meeting, Mahon said, "Nobody wants to see tax increases but if you look around the province you find not very many municipalities are able to balance the budget without increasing their taxes."
He said, without speaking for other councillors, and in respect for their position, there is always a debate around mill rate increases versus base tax increases.
"I don't speak for those who didn't support the budget, but I would suggest that maybe that was some of the issue around it."
Since the last major change to property tax rates and applications in 2009, when the variable tax rate was discontinued in order to encourage business growth, there has been no real increase in the mill rate, although its numbers have changed due to reassessment processes. There have, however, been several increases to the base tax rates.
This year's budget, said Mahon, features several ongoing major capital projects such as a new garbage truck, a new Zamboni and an order for a new fire truck.
"If you add those three items up, right there, that's quite a substantial sum of money," he said.
There is also $800,000 going into a sewage pumping station in Battleford West that will serve a large area of future development. Most capital items, he noted, are paid in part by money that has been put in reserve over a number of years in anticipation of those projects.
Mahon also said the 2015 budget will see a paving project on 2nd Avenue and 22nd Street in the Post Office area, one of the places with the most traffic in town.
He also said there will be work done on the intersection of 23rd Street and 2nd Avenue to improve drainage.
"As one of the councillors said, 'It's kind of been an issue since we were all kids," Mahon laughed, "and we're all getting up there."
