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Action Plan 2015 – 2018 public engagement is happening until March 21! Board our Take Action bus or participate online to help shape Calgary’s future.
This weekend we will be at Market Mall, Beddington Towne Centre, Country Hills Library, Signal Hill, and Crowfoot Library. Visit the Action Plan website for details or to find an event near you.
The property tax payment deadline is Friday, June 28, but there’s still time to assess your personal tax payment needs.
Do you prefer to save up throughout the year and pay your taxes in one lump sum? Or would you rather budget on a monthly basis? The Tax Installment Payment Plan (TIPP) is a valuable program that helps make budgeting a little bit easier.
TIPP enables homeowners to pay property taxes monthly instead of making a single payment in June. Plus, it helps avoid the risk of paying a 7% penalty if you have not paid your property taxes by the June 28 deadline.
It’s simple to join TIPP and you can join at any time. If you’re interested in signing up for the payment plan you can do so by following the steps below:
Click the ‘Tax Installment Payment Plan application request’ button
Enter your home address, then add other key pieces of information by following the prompts
Add additional comments if required, or click ‘next step’ to review and submit your request
An application specific to your property will be emailed to you within 7 business days. Follow the instructions in the email, choose your preferred method to submit and you are set!
For more information about TIPP, and other payment options visit Calgary.ca/propertytax.
Find out what other city services are easily available online at Calgary.ca/311.
Today, City Council announced a new public engagement asking Calgarians how The City should use the $52 million of provincial tax room.
“This is a significant amount of unbudgeted money,” said Mayor Nenshi. “We’ve debated five options in Council—all of which reflect the priorities of Calgarians—and this is our opportunity to engage with citizens to hear what they think before Council makes a decision in July.”
City Council wants all citizens to give input on all or any of the five options. There are three ways citizens can get their input to City Council:
Attending face to face opportunities at five different locations in Calgary over the next two weeks (schedule below)
Contacting 311
City Council is also preparing a public debate, moderated by former Dragon's Denpanelist Brett Willson, at the Devonian Gardens on Tuesday, May 28, from 12 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Currently, about 60 per cent of the property taxes citizens pay goes to The City for operations including police, fire, 9-1-1, road maintenance, parks and recreation facilities. The other 40 per cent goes directly to the Province.
City Council approved the 2013 budget in November 2012. The Province, after its budget in March 2013, actually requested less of its estimated portion of 40 per cent than had been anticipated.
That means that, with the same budget approved last November, The City now has $52 million more than expected. Council policy states that this money cannot be used for day-to-day operational expenses, but may be used for capital projects, which The City often asks the Province to help fund, or debt reduction.
City Council has come up with five options for using this tax room that will provide value for Calgarians. They are:
“Let the buses roll!” Creating a new dedicated capital fund for Calgary Transit
“Give business a break!” Reducing the tax rate for businesses
“Revitalize our communities!” Investing in maintenance and renewal of older neighbourhoods
“Drop the debt!” Reducing The City’s debt and our annual interest payments
“Give it back!” Lowering the taxes that homeowners pay
City Council will carefully review all feedback and use the information in helping them to decide how to use the $52 million when Council meets in July.
Please visit calgary.ca/52million for more information and to have your say from 2:00 pm, May 16, 2013 through 12:00 midnight, June 2, 2013.
$52 Million face-to-face engagement opportunities:
The City would like your input to develop recommendations on the timing and duration of the multi-year planning and budgeting process.
The City currently has a three-year business plan and budget cycle, which has aligned with Council’s three-year election cycle. Recently, the Alberta Government passed legislation that extends municipal council terms from three to four years in length.
With the change in Council terms to four years, The City of Calgary would like your feedback to develop recommendations on the timing and duration of The City’s multi-year business plans and budgets. These recommendations will be considered by Council in April 2013.
The survey will be open until the end of day February 15, 2013. Once the survey closes, we will share the feedback with both Council and Administration to aid in deciding on a new business planning and budgeting process to support a four-year Council term.
Thank you for being engaged and thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback to help us build a better Calgary!
Today, The City of Calgary mailed approximately 491,000 Property and Business 2013 Assessment Notices and commenced the 2013 Assessment Customer Review Period, which runs from January 3 to March 4, 2013.
The 2013 Property Assessment values are based on a July 1, 2012 market valuation date and December 31, 2012 physical condition date as legislated by the Province of Alberta through the Municipal Government Act (MGA). The 2013 Business Assessment values are based on the July 1, 2012 typical net annual rental value of business premises.
The assessed values, which provide the basis for determining property and business taxes, are prepared annually by The City of Calgary. “Preparing assessments on an annual basis helps ensure property and business assessments remain current with changing market conditions,” explains Harvey Fairfield, Calgary’s Acting City Assessor. “The market establishes the value of properties and businesses in Calgary; we simply measure that market value as of July 1 each year prior to the taxation year.”
The 2013 Customer Review Period provides customers with the opportunity to review and ensure the accuracy of their 2013 Assessment and learn more about Calgary’s assessment process. “The Customer Review Period is a top priority for the Assessment business unit,” says Fairfield. “During this time, Assessment staff and resources are fully dedicated to serving our customers and answering their questions.”
In conjunction with the 2013 Assessment Notice mailing, on January 3, the Assessment Search website at calgary.ca/assessmentsearch will be updated with 2013 assessment information.
Through the Assessment Search Secure Login service, property and business owners can conduct more in-depth assessment research by accessing more detailed information on their own property or business premises, summary information on other properties or premises for comparison purposes, helpful search tools and account management features.
“We continue to enhance the information and services we offer online so customers can efficiently and conveniently access tools and resources to help with their assessment review,” says Fairfield. Information about registering for and using the Assessment Search Secure Login service is included with the 2013 Notice mailing and online at calgary.ca/assessmentsearch.
If customers still have questions after reviewing their assessment, they can call the Assessment business unit at 403-268-2888 during the 2013 Customer Review Period to have their inquiries answered over the phone or, if necessary, to book an appointment with an assessor.
Today, City Council approved adjustments to the 2013-2014 business plans, operating and capital budgets. Council’s decisions bring the municipal residential property tax rate increase down to 5.5% from 5.7% in 2013. This amounts to a 2013 increase in the municipal residential property tax rate of approximately $76.00 per year or $6.35 per month for the typical household in Calgary.
“Council’s budget deliberations provided a valuable opportunity to engage the public in an ongoing dialogue with Council about the kind of City we live in, what kinds of things we want to invest in and how we want to pay for those programs and services”, said Mayor Nenshi.
Key highlights of the approved adjustments to 2013-2014 business plans and budgets:
Reducing Calgary Police Services budget by $4 million to align with current operating results.
Doubling the number of low income Calgarians who will be eligible for a subsidized Transit pass by 2014.
Increasing the annual rate for a Seniors’ transit pass to $95 per year (effective July 1, 2013) - available to all residents of Calgary who are 65 years and older.
[Seniors can also apply for a reduced rate seniors’ pass. That cost is $15 per year. Eligible seniors must meet minimum income requirements and must provide proof of income when they apply. This rate remains the same for 2013-2014 passes].
Improving transit service on various routes by adding service hours, enhancing LRT reliability by adding more vehicle service personnel and improving customer service support by adding priority front line staff.
Increasing the city’s night time taxi supply and find alternate taxi fleet management solutions through the addition of related resources in Development & Building Approvals business unit.
Continuing the Multi-Agency School Team and Youth-At-Risk Development programs delivered in partnership with the Calgary Police Service.
$2.25 million per year for Access Calgary.
$2.1 million per year for the new Emergency Operations Centre in Rotary Park to strengthen The City's capacity to provide disaster planning and preparedness.
$183 thousand in 2013 increasing to $1.2 million for 2014 to accommodate daily operations and ongoing maintenance of the Airport Tunnel.
$986 thousand to support long-term sustainment, legislated compliance and reporting requirements associated with the Tangible Capital Asset Program.
$822 thousand in 2013 and $822 thousand in 2014 to respond to increased call volumes to the Public Safety Communications call centre.
$810 thousand for external consulting fees and internal staff resources to conduct zero-based service reviews on City business units.
$450 thousand for the establishment of a new permanent growth management unit within Planning, Development and Assessment.
$240 thousand to support work related to the Council-approved Municipal Complex Bylaw for effective and efficient management of the Municipal Complex for all users.
$213 thousand to enhance Crisis Communications support in response to the increase in crisis activation's in the past year, and to improve communications between Aldermen and their community residents.
Eliminating $200 thousand annual contribution from Golf Course Operations to general revenues to support a mandate change from “fully self-sufficient” to “tax-supported.”
Council’s approved adjustments to 2013-2014 budgets and plans also include a number of capital expenditures:
$15.0 million for the new East Macleod Emergency Response Station to serve the communities of Walden, Legacy and Chaparral.
$12.8 million funding from the Real Estate Services Reserve for brownfield development in Lincoln Park.
$750 thousand grant funding from the federal government’s Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund to support various pool accessibility and arena change room upgrades managed by Recreation.
Council also allocated $10.2 million of tax space, aligned to the following key priorities:
$2 million for sidewalks, curbs, and gutters.
$2 million to improve transit reliability.
$2 million to pursue strategies to reduce transportation congestion.
$2 million for lifecycle maintenance of existing corporate buildings.
$2.2 million for enhancing community facilities.
Overall the economy and social outlook for Calgary have remained stable and there have been no major changes since the 2012-2014 Business Plans & Budget was approved by Council. As a result of this stability, Council has approved adjustments to the most critical areas so as not to exceed the previously approved tax rate.
The adjustments process has allowed The City to meet the demands of growth while balancing affordability with resources needed to deliver front-line services, which remains a challenge for The City. The demand for City services continues to rise at the same time as The City experiences increasing costs for materials and equipment, and increased competitiveness in the labour market.
The City will continue to monitor current economic events and their impact on municipal services. The flexibility built in to the three-year approach allows Council to make necessary changes from a position of knowing what is critical and adjusting the business plans and budgets to retain a longer-term perspective.
