Property tax due Wednesday following three-month deferral

Council also approved the COVID Credit which maintained the municipal tax rate at the 2019 rate.

Customer Service & Collections Superintendent Denise Schmaltz says as of Friday, September 25 about 61 percent of the tax payments were already received.

And the next few days will be quite busy with more payments coming in.

Historically, she says they generally see the majority of payments in the last week.

Schmaltz adds, the city had a lot of feedback that customers appreciated having the extra time to be able to pay without penalty.

“For customers that are unable to pay their property taxes by the due date, I suggest and highly encourage that you contact the collections group at the city to set up an arrears payment plan. Whether you pay what you can by the due date and set up the remainder on arrears, or put the full amount on an arrears payment plan. The first payment plan withdrawal would come out January and it could span for a period of two years.”

City council approved that if you are on a tax arrears payment plan, that you will not get charged penalty during that time.

However, on October 1 there are penalties that are applied to unpaid taxes. She says unpaid taxes on October 1 will receive a 5.82% penalty; 0.59% on November 1 and 0.59% on December 1^.

Ways to pay your taxes include online banking or at your bank, by mail, at the night depository located at the east entrance of City Hall, by credit card, or in person at City Hall.

Schmaltz reminds there may be longer than normal wait times at City Hall if you pay with cash, interac, or cheque.

“About 34 percent of our customers pay on the monthly payment plan. We highly encourage customers to sign up for a Tax Instalment Payment Plan (TIPP). It basically spreads out your tax bill over 12 months and you pay monthly on that,” Schmaltz added.

Schmaltz says for customers that cannot pay the full property tax bill, can:

· Sign up for TIPP (pay 10 months on September 30) and the balance of payments on November 1 and December 1.

·Make payment arrangements

· Sign up for TAPP (Tax Arrears Payment Plan) where taxes in arrears can be paid back in a term that does not exceed 24 months. During COVID, penalties will be waived for customers signed up on the TAPP Plan. TAPP payment plans will begin January 1, 2021.

· Contact collections@medicinehat.ca or call 403-529-8113 to set up the TAPP plan or discuss what options are available to you.

Schmalts also warns of scams, and says the city does not call you asking for credit card information to pay your taxes and to call the city if you are unsure.

by Chantal Wagner

Property tax due Wednesday following three-month deferral

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