Spring has arrived and it is great to see all the usual spring activities starting up and residents enjoying the community. The recent rains have certainly helped with our drought situation, but the region and the province still need more. The province is still in a drought situation with wildfires in northern Alberta and everyone is expected to do their part. The Town operations will be looking at less irrigation of parks and sports fields and residents may be asked to reduce their outside consumption and always use water wisely.
Council at their May 14th meeting passed the 2024 Tax Rate Bylaw, and with increased assessment, the municipal tax rate was able to be reduced. The residential municipal tax rate has been reduced by 3% and the non-residential municipal tax rate reduced by 1%. Remember that the municipal portion of your tax bill is the only portion that Council controls. The Education requisition from the province and the Acadia Foundation requisition both will see small tax rate decreases.
Please note that you will likely see a tax increase if your assessment increased significantly (more than average). With that being said, the municipal tax collected in 2024 is approximately $80,000 more than was collected in 2023 and equivalent to the amount collected in 2018 and 2019. Below is a history of the municipal tax revenue collected since 2018.
- 2018 $2,877,924
- 2019 $2,873,373
- 2020 $2,840,599
- 2021 $2,793,684
- 2022 $2,793,640
- 2023 $2,798,138
- 2024 $2,878,250
“Keeping the municipal tax increase to a minimum has been very difficult when facing significant increases in the costs of utilities, insurance, fuel, and goods but together Council and Administration have constructed an operating and capital budget that will see the municipal taxes collected increase less than 3% from the 2023 taxes collected.”
Council is excited to see the Downtown Revitalization Project moving forward this summer. The project includes water, sanitary and storm line replacement and the creation of a pedestrian-friendly, aesthetically pleasing environment above ground, with new sidewalks containing bump-outs at the intersections, benches, tables, garbage/recycling containers, planters, bike racks and updated pedestrian lighting. This project has been able to be fully funded using provincial and federal infrastructure funding including a special Canada Coal Initiative Fund.
The Downtown Revitalization Project is expected to start construction on June 10th and substantial completion is anticipated by September 30th. The project will be completed one block at a time to reduce the impact on downtown businesses. Even though all efforts to reduce the impact will be undertaken there will still be impacts and inconveniences to normal access but keep those businesses in mind through this summer as they will still be open and need your support.
Council At the May 14th meeting also passed first reading of a revised Animal Control Bylaw which has a new section regulating the keeping of urban hens on residential property. Administration will be working on a public engagement plan to receive feedback from residents prior to Council considering 2nd and 3rd reading of this bylaw (a bylaw requires approval of three readings before it is law). You can read the draft Bylaw on the Town website or at the Town Office.
CAO Neill has served notice to Council of his intention to retire by the end of September and Council has retained the services of Transitional Solutions Inc. to guide us through the recruitment process to ensure that the best candidate is hired. This recruitment will be priority of Council over the summer months.
Remember to feel free to reach out to me with any concerns or issues you may have.
Respectfully,
Danny Povaschuk, Mayor, Town of Hanna