Acting corporate services manager Lola Barta presenting to council. (Screengrab from City of Medicine Hat/YouTube)

By Gates Guarin

$107 per year, on average

Property taxes increasing for first time in three years

Apr 19, 2022 | 12:19 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Hatters will be paying a little bit more in property taxes this year.

City council voted unanimously to adjust a bylaw in order to increase the city property tax for the first time in three years. Council was given a presentation by Lola Barta, acting corporate services manager for the city. Barta said the average median household can expect an increase of four per cent, which equates to $107 per year on average.

Council was presented with three different scenarios by Barta on how to spread out the tax burden. Council ultimately agreed on an option that shares the impact among three different property classes– single family homes, multi-family homes, and non-residential properties. Barta says this is the best option for the city and its residents.

“Even though each property class will get an increase, it is the same increase across all classes,” Barta says. “That’s our justification or recommendation. So it is an equal increase among all property holders.”

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Towne Square

With the Towne Square project completed, the focus has turned to the operating budget. The budget was tabled before council, which aims to have revenues offset the entirety of the budget to operate the downtown space.

Coun. Ramona Robins questioned the lack of detail for revenue streams, but public services director Brian Mastel explained revenue would come from a variety of sources.

“Parking is a more certain area of revenue, or one that we can predict with a higher level of confidence because we’ve historically had parking occur in that lot for a number of years,” Mastel says. “The rental of the Towne Square area and sponsorship capabilities are more of an unknown, but certainly we look forward to giving further updates as we get into operating the space.”

The operating budget was passed by a vote of seven to one.