Clark’s Crossing Gazette I n addition to a uniform mill rate of 4.78, residents of the RM of Corman Park will pay a base tax of $235 for each property they own, which will allow the municipality to balance its 2025 budget. During a special council meeting on May 8, councillors passed third reading on Bylaw 18/25, which establishes the base tax rate of $235 for all 7,322 properties in the RM. It should be noted that if a property has multiple classes — say, a 10-acre parcel has seven acres zoned as agricultural and three zoned as residential — the owner will only have to pay the base tax once.

Council had previously passed first and second reading on the bylaw during their April 29 council meeting. Because they did not have unanimous agreement to go to third reading — Division 1 and 3 councillors John Germs and Lyndon Haduik were opposed — the special council meeting on May 8 was required. During the April 29 meeting, council also passed all three readings on Bylaw 17/25, which set the uniform mill rate at 4.78. The bylaw also established the following Education Property Tax Mill Rates (EPT): agricultural at 1.07, residential at 4.27, commercial/ industrial at 6.37 and resource at 7.49.

Councillors had previously discussed options for adjusting the 2025 mill rate during the administration committee meeting on April 8. Administration noted that the 2024 uniform mill rate had been set at 5.66, which was an increase of 4.9 per cent from 2023. Because 2025 is a revaluation year, this means that all properties were re-assessed based on market values as of Jan. 1, 2023, and adjustments to the uniform mill rate and mill rate factors were needed to ensure a ‘revenue neutral’ starting point. As such, the mill rate was dropped to 4.78. Because of this revaluation, incidentally, a residential property whose assessment went up 14 per cent or less would be paying either the same or fewer taxes. Administration pointed out that this year’s 2025 budget included a shortfall of $3.4 million. Council wanted to cover this by bringing in an additional $1.725 million through taxation and a debenture of $1.7 million.

Administration presented council with five options for raising this additional tax revenue, ultimately accepting the base tax of $235 that would bring in an additional $1.72 million in revenue. Germs outright voiced his opposition to a base tax, adding that he thought a lot of people would come forward to ask what the RM was giving them for that money, as opposed to a local improvement tax. “If we can explain, ‘This is what we’re going to do for you,’ that’s one thing. But I think we’re going to have a heck of a problem trying to explain another tax to the local folk,” he said, indicating his preference for raising the mill rate.

Reeve Joe Hargrave indicated his preference for the base tax of $235. He pointed out that there are a number of properties within the RM where the owners are basically paying no tax, despite the fact that the roads near those properties are still being graded and plowed. “If that’s not worth $235, then do it yourself, and we’ll save money by not buying graders, not buying plows and not hiring people,” he said. After much discussion, council voted in favour of the recommendation to go with the base tax rate.

– By Kevin Berger, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter