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Tax levy to increase by 3.3 percent

Budget meeting set for April 16
11201884_web1_170619-LDN-M-Village-of-Burns-Lake

Village of Burns Lake council is meeting on the evening of April 16 for discussions on property tax rates for the coming year.

The meeting will also involve discussions on projects that were still in progress at the end of 2017 and to amend the village’s five-year financial plan.

“Now that the budget has been approved by council, a few updates are required to reflect finalized budget numbers,” said Rebecca Billard, deputy corporate officer for the village, in an email to the Lakes District News.

Billard said the property tax levy will increase by about about 3.3 percent, given changes to assessment rates for 2018. More definitive numbers will be available in a staff report at the April 16 meeting, she added.

The village was slated to receive nearly $1,356,000 in taxes last year, according to the 2017-2021 financial plan adopted by council last May. The same document estimated that property taxes would rise to $1,383,097 in 2018 — a 2 percent increase.

The largest part of the 2017 property tax figure — roughly $736,900 — came from residential property, according to the financial plan.

Property taxes levied on businesses stood at $525,377 in 2017, followed by light industry at $48,458 and utilities at $43,994.

Taxes on recreation and non-profit properties were worth just $1,213, according to the financial plan.

Municipal governments are required to adopt a five-year financial plan before setting property tax rates for the year, according to the Community Charter, a provincial law governing municipalities. Tax rates have to be set before May 15.