Property values down, taxes up in St. Paul

While the assessed value of properties in the Town of St. Paul has dropped by $22 million since 2020, an increase to the mill rate means many property owners will see their tax bill stay the same or increase in 2021.

The mill rates are set each year by the municipality and include rates for municipal property taxes, Alberta School Foundation Fund, and M.D. of St. Paul Foundation. The town does not determine the amount levied by the schools and the foundation, but is required to fund them through property taxes. The Town of St. Paul and other members of the M.D. of St. Paul Foundation were told earlier this year to expect to roughly double their levies because of the impact of COVID-19 on the foundation.

According to Town of St. Paul Mayor Maureen Miller, this was a particularly difficult budget year.

“There is a slight change in the mill rate but in actuality, I think that we’ve really put all hands on the table here and all minds together for the better of the community. So kudos to you all, it’s been a really tough conversation we’ve had so I just want to acknowledge everybody here,” said Miller.

For residential properties, the municipal mill rate will be increasing by 0.6823 mills to 8.2673. Non-residential properties will see an increase of 0.923 mills to 17.1240.

The mill rate for the portion of taxes sent to the Alberta School Foundation is decreasing slightly for both residential and non-residential properties to 2.5461 and 4.0510 respectively, while the mill rate for the M.D. of St. Paul Foundation is increasing by 0.1559 mills for both residential and non-residential properties to 0.3829.

For a residential homeowner in St. Paul with a house valued at $300,000 the change in the mill rate will mean a $204.69 increase to their municipal property taxes, a $39.57 decrease to their Alberta School Foundation Fund levy, and an increase of $46.77 to their M.D. of St. Paul Foundation levy for an overall tax increase of $211.89 compared to 2020.

Coun. Nathan Taylor moved first reading of the taxation bylaw. It carried. The bylaw needs to be read twice more before the taxation notices can be sent out.