Canmore Luxury Homes - Reports and Insight

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Friday December 16/2011 - Canmore Council Votes Down Increase in Utility Rates

Canmore is having a temporary cash flow problem. City council has just voted against increasing utility rates to solve the issue, noting that it would unfairly tax permanent residents. The vote happened this past Monday, and the idea was defeated by a 4-3 vote.

Council was fairly divided on the issue, each side having their own ideas of how to be fair to both permanent and seasonal residents. There is still the $1 million shortfall to cover. That shortfall is likely to last until development in the area picks up.

Mayor Casey noted that the people who live in Canmore full time would end up paying more than part-timers. But, he noted, that people with second homes in Canmore increased growth in the area, effectively increasing the expenses for infrastructure and the like. Now it appears that the shortfall will come out of property taxes, unless council comes up with another solution.

Two councilors that disagreed with the mayor were Jim Ridley, who thought that a flat tax on utilities would be fair, and Hans Helder, who cited that increasing property taxes would put an unfair burden on those with more expensive properties, even though they did not use any more water than less-expensive homes. Gordie Miskow was on the fence about the idea, but then ended up voting no.

Wednesday December 7/2011 - Canmore Council Seeks More Info For 2012 Budget Talks

The Canmore city council is working on the 2012 budget, normal for this time of year. But, what isn’t so normal is a couple of challenges that have make it necessary to go back to the administration to get a clearer outline as to what their expected operating expenses really are.

The two items that are causing the questions are the new multiplex and the change in the Fire and EMS service to the area. The issue with the multiplex, scheduled to open in October of 2012, is that Mayor Ron Casey and the council have no sense of how much it will cost to operate the facility, which includes an aquatic centre. The original estimates date back a couple of years, when it was then thought it would take $711,000 per year to operate the multiplex.

Council is asking for a revised needs analysis, especially since those involved have guestimated that it will cost far less than the original operating estimate. Eventually there will be the need to hire nine full time people for the facility, but that is on hold, along with plans to hire a consultant.

As far as the Fire/EMS situation, Canmore will change from being part of an integrated service to having its own independent fire department beginning on April 1st of 2012. The budget is calculated on the first three months being in the old system, with the remainder of the year as an independent entity. Council is asking the fire department for clarification on figures for the station’s branding, supplies and communication systems.

Right now Canmore has a cash flow issue. Raising utility rates would help this immensely. The mayor believes by using this method, it is unfair to those who are permanent residents. The debate will continue during the December meetings.

Thursday December 1/2011 - Canmore Budget Talks Look at Possible Utility Tax Hike

It is budget talk time again in Canmore and city council members are in the thick of it. The November 29th session centered on how the council was going to make up for a $1 million disparity between offsite debt servicing and related/unrelated revenue streams.

In 2011, that amount was covered by increased taxes to residents. The budget committee did recommend upping the utility tax rates for four years, but Ron Casey, the major, is considering increasing property taxes instead. He thinks that is a much fairer solution. Casey noted that one way or another; taxes would be used to cover the spending gap.

A levy model already on the Canmore books suggests that items such as water service should be paid in accordance with use. The biggest user pays the biggest tax. Even so, the administration hasn’t increased such taxes for several years, most likely because it wasn’t needed. Between 2001 and 2008, all but one year showed a surplus using the existing tax rate.

It wasn’t until 2008 that Canmore raised its tax rates for utilities more than the usual baseline increases. That is what most likely helped create the $1 million gap. The city continued to grow and use services, but failed to pay for that increase. The next budget meeting is scheduled for December 5th. On the table will be the suggested utility tax increases, which will most likely average out to a 13 percent hike, or $90 more for the average household.

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