NO COALDALE TAX INCREASE

TOWN COUNCIL’S GOAL WAS BUDGET WITH NO INCREASE

Budget will include increased policing, more street lights, revitalizing downtown

Coaldale homeowners are in for an unusual surprise: Town council has approved an operating budget with a zero-per-cent increase.

The town’s $19,584,999 operating budget for 2019 will cover increased policing, more street lights, longer hours at the library — and planning for the town’s 100th birthday.

Fifteen back alleys will be rebuilt, council agreed, and both the water works and the sewer system will receive funds for important maintenance.

As well, work will begin on revitalizing three blocks of downtown 20 Avenue — from the newly approved capital budget — and an improved “main entrance” will provide better access to the town’s northeast industrial park.

But taxes won’t increase, although families will find a new $10 per month recreation facility levy on their utility bills.

“Council gave us a goal of zero per cent to strive for, and I am pleased our team was able to rise to the challenge,” says Kalen Hastings, the town’s chief administrative officer.

For a home assessed at $277,360 this year, the average for Coaldale, that would mean a property tax bill of $2,902.55 including education requisitions collected for the province.

The town’s zero increase is expected to continue through 2020, he adds. Hastings cites the town’s growth as one of the factors making that possible.

“The ability . . . would not be possible in the absence of strong growth, resourcefulness, partnerships and innovation,” he says.

In partnership with Lethbridge County, upgrades worth close to $4 million will be made to the town’s fire hall and its air handling system. Coaldale volunteers provide fire protection for a significant area of the county.

Working partnerships with Palliser Regional Schools, the St. Mary Irrigation District and other local authorities have also helped keep budgets lean, Hastings indicates.

Major items in the new three-year operating budget include $175,000 to add one RCMP officer to the town’s police force, $289,000 for new street lights in 27 “dark spots” throughout town, $180,000 over three years for water valve replacements and $200,000 for a sewer relining program.

While the residential mill rate remains at 8.1518, non-residential property owners (at a 10.7570 mill rate) will see an increase of about four per cent from last year. Coaldale’s operating budget for 2018 was $17,850,490.

This week council also approved a three-year capital budget — calendar years 2019 to 2021 — which includes “revitalization” of a three-block section of downtown 20 Avenue. Underground pipes, among the oldest in town, will be replaced before functional and aesthetic improvements are made in consultation with business owners.

Construction will also begin on the latest stage of the Malloy Drain water handling project, using former reservoirs on the south edge of town, and on upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant. The town will also purchase a new road maintenance vehicle — snow plow, salt applicator and dump truck — to replace an old one.

The capital budget priorities, points out Mayor Kim Craig, reflect council’s recently adopted strategic plan.

“This document is a bold statement on council’s vision for Coaldale,” he says. It is “the culmination of the policies and decisions of not only the current council but many of the previous councils.

“I believe (the capital budget) puts Coaldale’s future squarely in our hands, and gives our residents and business community a balanced approach to recreation, economic development and core infrastructure.”

Follow @DMabellHerald on Twitter