The CAMROSE BOOSTER, January 25, 2022 – Page 4
City property assessments mailed out a 2.5 per cent machinery of residential construction asking the property owner help us assess commercial City of Camrose prop- and equipment which we in the last three or four to describe the property; properties.” erty owners will be receiv- have elected to exempt.” years.” Lantz said that this review of MLS information; Assessment process ing their 2021 Notice of According to the review of aerial photogra- information is collected Lantz said the assess- phy; and review of build- annually on commercial Assessments in the upcom- report, the change in overing days. According to a all assessed value for the ment is prepared by start- ing plans, permits and and multi-family properreport presented to City City of Camrose is as fol- ing with an assessment other data available to the ties, giving property ownroll, a data base of all assessor. lows: of Camrose couners the option of returning 9,000 properties in cil by the City’s “Partially because of the information in whatCamrose that con- the pandemic, but also ever format is most conAssessment ssentially, 75 per cent of our tains a list of attri- partially in an effort to venient to them and keepmanager Trabutes describing seek efficiency, we have ing the information strictly vis Lantz, the tax base is residential property, every property in really dramatically moved confidential. notices were said City of Camrose assessment the City including: away from going into as Appeal process sent out to all manager Travis Lantz. descriptive (address, many properties and have According to Lantz, the property ownlegal description, become far more focused on mailing of assessments last ers on January owner’s name, land mailing surveys to proper- week kicked off the 67-day 13. Following the assess- • Residential for 2021– title number, zoning); ty owners and having them (as per provincial legislation) $2.036 billion; 2022– quantitative (lot size, size self report.” ment notices, the tax noticperiod when property own$2.142 billion with a of improvements, age of es will be sent to property He said that the City ers can file an appeal if they change in total market improvements, amount of has made every effort to feel they have been accessed owners in May. development) make self-reporting as con- incorrectly or unfairly. value of 4.65 per cent basement During the January 17 and a change from and qualitative (condition, venient as possible for all Committee of Whole meetThe right to appeal growth of 0.55 per cent. quality). ing, Lantz fully explained residents, including online ends on March 22. for He further explained surveys (vps.camalot.ca/ the fundamentals of prop- • Non-residential “The Assessment 2021– $615 million; that the City assesses prop- rfi) that can be processed Review board is an imparerty assessment to council. 2022–$622 million with erties through statistical immediately, mailed in or tial board,” explained Lantz. Lantz began by a change in total market modeling, where properties the City can be contacted “For residential property describing assessments. value of 0.13 per cent and are grouped together and via telephone (780-672- owners, it is made up of “An assessment is putting a change from growth of their models adjusted for the 4426). “We are very open three local volunteers from a dollar value on every 1.02 per cent. differences in properties. to working with property the community, and for nonproperty in the City, and “This is the total “We primarily look at com- owners with whatever they residential complaints, it is a new assessment is calculated every year for every increase and it is not uni- parable sales. When we get prefer, whatever gives them made up of two volunteers property. For most proper- form. It is going to be dif- into commercial and indus- the most comfort level.” from the community and ties, that is an estimate of ferent for every property in trial properties, we look at He explained that the a provincially-appointed the City.” income. How much income purpose of the inspection is chair, who does not live in the market value.” He added that the marthe municipality.” ket value is the most likeLantz said that typily sell price that the City cally the City sees more City Hall thinks a property would appeals on the non-residenachieve on the open market tial property assessments, with a willing buyer and which he indicated may be willing seller. the result of Property Tax “When we talk about Agents appealing assessmarket value for assessments on behalf of the large ment purposes as per legisnon-residential property lation, they are all based on owners, with a goal of gainJuly 1 of the previous year. ing a financial savings. For the notices mailed last “Challenges that come week, it is based on the from assessment appeals value of the property on vary wildly,” noted Lantz, July 1, 2021, and we would adding that in 2017, look at sales leading up to approximately eight or 10 that point in time.” non-residential property Lantz said the only owners (mostly) were purwrinkle to that considersuing roughly $500,000 in ation is that the City looks tax decreases. “Obviously, at the condition of the propwe had a significant risk erty up until the end of the there of having a $500,000 He said overall resi- does this property generate to review the data for each hit to our tax levy, where in year. “Where this comes into play is, for example, if dential property values as a rental, not how much property including: the 2018, we ended up with zero somebody adds a garage in saw varying increases, income does the business condition of improvements, appeals, so zero risks. These October or November, that while non-residential prop- make, but how much would amount of basement devel- wild, unpredictable levels would be in their current erty values continued to the landlord generate rent- opment and renovations. of appeal risk were really ing out this property and a assessment or visa versa, meet challenges. Lantz added that the our main driver in sepaAssessment growth cost approach. How much best practice recommenda- rating out the assessment if, unfortunately, someLantz discussed the would it cost to acquire the tion from the province is to and tax notices in trying body’s home burned down growth in the assessment land and rebuild this prop- have a five-year cycle for to get a better understandthis fall.” roll from new construc- erty again. Lantz said that accordinspections, with approxi- ing of what sort of appeals tion in 2021. “This level “When we look at sales mately 20 per cent of the and assessment changes ing to legislation in Alberof growth should meet or to value property, we typita, properties are broken slightly exceed budgeted cally look at the three years properties in the City get- we would be facing much down into four basic types ting inspected annually. earlier in the year and posestimate of $150,000 tax leading up to July which consist of: residensibly before we set dollars from growth,” said 1,” said Lantz. “We tial (approximately worth the tax rates.” Lantz. “But it is not going get all our sales $2.14 billion in Camrose); Lantz said he growth has been in a to be any type of financial information from farmland (approximatethat the City has downward trend for awhile, windfall that will allow us land titles, analyze ly $1 million in Camrose had great success to dramatically lower tax- them and deterparticularly the residential,” assessed at $350 an acre, in the last four es. We would need to see a mine good sales.” said City of Camrose assessment not at market value); nonyears defending higher level of growth than He said that residential including comagainst tax assessmanager Travis Lantz. that. another big part of mercial and industrial ment appeals with “The growth has been preparing assess($622 million in Camlittle to no tax dolin a downward trend for ment roll is having rose) and machinery and “On the commercial/ lars lost under appeals. awhile, particularly the equipment property used residential. In 2015, we good data on every prop- industrial property, nonImportant dates for manufacturing or pro- had about $40 million in erty in town, which the City residential side of things, Residents will have cessing (approximately residential new construc- accomplishes in a variety we also mail them annual until March 22 to appeal $72 million in Camrose), tion, versus the $12 million of ways including: in-person correspondence. Unlike resi- property assessments. In inspection of the interior dential, the City does not March/April, council will which Lantz indicated was we had this year. of the property; in-person exempt from taxation by “The non-residential is inspection of the exterior of ask them to describe their approve the 2022 tax rates. council 40 years ago. property; we are looking In mid-May, tax notices somewhat holding its own. “Essentially 75 per The thing that has caused the property; phone inter- for information about the will be sent out with the cent of our tax base is res- the decline in growth rev- views with property owner; rent, vacancy, expenses, all deadline for tax payment idential property, 22 per enue is the dropping off requests for information those things that go into on June 30. (RFI) mailed-out survey cent is non-residential and Continued on page 10 the income models that By Lori Larsen
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