County to set tax rate

Cypress County council will meet Tuesday to set the 2020 property tax rates and debate altering penalties and dates to help ratepayers strained financially by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The rates will be announced at today’s meeting in Dunmore, where health orders prevent physical access by the public, though the meeting will be broadcast online.

Finance officials are also recommending changes to the system of tax penalties as collection dates for different aspects of property tax are being altered by provincial government.

Typically, accounts in arrears would be charged an immediate 2.5 per cent penalty on July 1, then a further 5 per cent on amounts still due on Nov. 1. If approved those amounts would be combined and a 7.5 per cent penalty applied on amounts related to the 2019 taxes only on Dec. 1.

“This provides rate payers with a deferment of five months to bring their taxes for the current year in good standings,” reads the rationale included with the item that must still be approved by a council vote.

Last fall county council agreed to move the tax collection date up from November to June in order to give planners more lead time to adjust finances in case of major tax defaults in the linear (oil and gas) property accounts.

The province of Alberta announced in April that nonresidential tax accounts would be able to defer paying the Education portion that appears on local bills until Sept. 30.

The City of Medicine Hat is expected to set its tax rate in early May ahead of a June 30 due date.