TISDALE — Property taxes in Tisdale will increase by one per cent in 2020.
“Council has worked hard to try to keep the increases minimal,” said Brad Hvidston, Tisdale’s administrator.
The town’s budget passed at a council meeting April 13 with four out of six councillors in favour.
Councillors Gord Mamer and Carson Penner voted to amend the budget to have no increase in the wake of the pandemic – but were ultimately struck down.
“I don’t know if now is a prudent time to be increasing taxes from a business standpoint, from a people losing jobs standpoint,” Mamer said. “I think we’re sending the wrong message by increasing one per cent this year.”
Mamer brought with him what he said was a number of comments from residents in the community on the possibility of a property tax increase.
“I feel like any increase right now would be a kick in the teeth, strictly for the principle people are losing jobs, businesses are closing, some may not reopen. I think it might be a PR nightmare,” he read.
The rest of the councillors voted against the amendment.
After the amendment failed, Mamer and Penner voted against the passing of the budget as a whole.
Mamer requested a recorded vote.
“I think there’s a right and wrong view in this case, and my personal view is we’re doing the wrong thing.”
In the budget, $5.328 million is allocated to landfill construction and expansion, $1.3 million is allocated for sewer lagoon construction, $445,200 is allocated new paving, $267,000 is allocated for water line replacement, $50,000 for walking trails in the vicinity of Mount Tisdale.
The budget is expected to reduce the town’s debt by over one million with no borrowing planned.
Hvidston said impacts to the budget include COVID-19, the carbon tax, new union and employment contracts, and facility rental decreases.
He said that the total impact that COVID-19 is having on facility rentals won’t be known until after the restrictions are lifted.
The loss is anticipated to be a minimum of $50,000, but more likely closer to the $100,000 range.
“It’s going to cost us because people aren’t renting for things like the rodeo, and weddings, or even just ice rentals we lost already,” Hvidston said.
“[The] swimming pool is a little different because if the swimming pool doesn’t open we do save some costs.”
Facility rentals include Dance Experience, meeting room rentals, ice rentals, Civic Centre rentals, auditorium and theatre rentals, as well as swimming pool and ball diamond revenues.
The town has made changes to the property tax discount schedule to help offset the impact of COVID-19.
Tisdale typically gives a 15 per cent discount for payments received in May and this remains unchanged. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the discount will only decrease by two per cent each month and not five per cent each month as in previous years.
“We will also be working with businesses and residents who have been impacted on an individual basis with utility bills and will not be turning water services off in the short term,” the town said in a statement. “Ultimately the businesses and individuals will still be responsible for those bills, but we will work on a payment schedule with them on an individual basis.”
Property taxes are not being deferred at this time.
The annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) increase was 2.3 per cent.
