Red Deer City Council approves 4.61 tax increase

Red Deer property tax rates approved by City Council

Red Deer City Council approved the annual property tax rate bylaw at their regular meeting today (Monday).

City Council is required to pass a tax rate bylaw when a property tax requirement has been approved in the operating budget. The bylaw also sets tax rates for requisitions The City collects on behalf of Alberta Education and Bridges Community Living.

The City’s budget was set by City Council in December with a 4.61 per cent tax increase. When combined with requisitions The City must collect on behalf of other organizations, the actual tax increase is 2.46 per cent for residential and non-residential properties. Multi-family properties will see a tax increase of 6.64 per cent.

“We are pleased to be able to offer Red Deerians a lower than anticipated tax increase this year,” said Mayor Ken Johnston. “We know the economy is a challenge right now, so seeing this decrease, while also being able to offer the same high-quality services to our community, is a very welcome change.”

The tax increase means a typical house assessed at $345,000 will pay $6.79 per month more in total property tax. This brings the total annual tax bill to $3,388 from $3,306 in 2022, which is an increase of $81.48 annually.

The deadline for payment of 2023 property taxes is June 30. Any unpaid taxes are subject to a six per cent penalty, lowered from the historical seven per cent. Penalties are applied to current year unpaid taxes on July 1 and September 1, and on taxes in arrears on January 1 and July 1. This is the last year of lowered penalty rates that were provided to support recovery from the impacts of the pandemic.

“Taxes are collected annually to fund municipal services, infrastructure maintenance and amenities that support and enhance our community,” said Joanne Parkin, Revenue and Assessment Manager. “We encourage anyone who may not be able to pay their taxes by the deadline to pay as much as they can to reduce penalties, and to reach out to our office to discuss payment options,”

Tax notices will be mailed May 23, 2023. Property owners can sign up by May 1 via MyCity (reddeer.ca/mycity) to receive their property tax notice electronically. Notices will be distributed by mail if electronic notification is not selected.

City of Red Deer

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City Council paving the way for more house suites, backyard suites, tiny homes, and duplexes

City of Red Deer / 1 day ago

City says Red Deer residents impressed by changes to snow and ice control program

City of Red Deer / 4 days ago

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City of Red Deer

City Council paving the way for more house suites, backyard suites, tiny homes, and duplexes

Published on May 13, 2024

City of Red Deer

Council adopts new Zoning Bylaw

At Monday’s regular City Council meeting, City Council passed second and third reading of the Zoning Bylaw 3357/2024, replacing the former Land Use Bylaw.

The goal of the Zoning Bylaw is to reduce red tape, permit more uses in each zone and improve ease and understanding of the document. Notable updates include:

Reduction from 11 residential districts to 9 zones
Reduction from 7 commercial districts to 6 zones
Reduction from 5 industrial districts to 3 zones
More permitted uses in each zone
More gentle density options to provide increased housing options, including house suites, backyard suites, tiny homes, and duplexes
Increased building heights to 12.5m that considers sightlines and privacy of existing dwellings
Greater flexibility for development applications
Expanded definitions
Reduction of duplex side yards, removal of side yard setbacks on corner lots, and reduced frontage in residential narrow lots to improve competitiveness
New regulations to gently transition existing neighbourhoods to maintain character

Following adoption of the Zoning Bylaw, the following amendments were made by City Council.

Proposed Amendment	Public Hearing Date
Increase suites from 15% to 25% of the houses in a neighbourhood.	June 24, 2024
Allow commercial uses on the main floor of R-H Residential High Density.	June 24, 2024
Correct errors in the PS Public Service Zone use list: (*Recommended) a) Gaming and Gambling Establishment (Only at the Westerner) b) Education Primary & Secondary – Add to discretionary use list	May 27, 2024
Returning the Cannabis Retail Sales setbacks to be consistent with the current Land Use Bylaw 3357/2006	May 27, 2024

“The new Zoning Bylaw incorporates years of public feedback and best practices to make a Zoning Bylaw that will result in more housing options, easier development, and ultimately will improve our competitiveness,” said David Girardin, Major Projects Planner. “With the approval of the Zoning Bylaw today, we are not finished our community engagement as there will be future public hearings on potential amendments in the coming weeks, as well as more formal public participation for each additional phase of the Zoning Bylaw.”

The Zoning Bylaw will come into effect in 30 days. Public participation for phase two of the Zoning Bylaw will begin later this year. For more information, visit engage.reddeer.ca.

City of Red Deer

City says Red Deer residents impressed by changes to snow and ice control program

Published on May 13, 2024

City of Red Deer

City Council reviews pilot snow and ice control program

This past winter, The City of Red Deer piloted changes to the snow and ice control program that focused on restoring mobility sooner and providing safe, accessible and well-maintained transportation infrastructure for all.

Major changes included 24/7 operations for residential street clearing, increased traction control throughout the city, additional sidewalk, trail and staircase clearing, and decreased timelines for bus stop clearing. On Monday City Council reviewed the 2023-24 snow and ice control operational report which outlined the pilot’s successes and challenges, as well as the learnings and opportunities for improvement.

“Overall, our more responsive approach to snow and ice control resulted in better mobility for motorists and pedestrians, and a greater quality of winter road maintenance,” said Greg Sikora, Manager of Parks and Public Works. “Of the many successes of the pilot program, the community was most pleased with the noticeable improvement in traction control and our ability to clear Green Routes within six days, thanks to moving Green Route plowing to 24/7 operations.”

Improvements to pedestrian, cyclist and motorist transportation networks include:

Increased presence and effectiveness of pre-treating, plowing, and sanding on major arterials, hills and bridges, with two and four-hour traction control equipment cycles,
5 locations of staircase clearing,
43 km of neighbourhood asphalt trails cleared after each snowfall,
Inclusion of second side sidewalks (9 km)
635 transit stop clearing: 61 high priority cleared in 1 day, 153 medium priority cleared within 3 days, an additional 421 supplemental stops cleared within 7 days.

Throughout the pilot program, The City connected with the community to get feedback on operations including regular check-ins with the Engaged Citizens Group, two broad public surveys, a transit rider survey and the Citizen Satisfaction Survey.

Overall, citizens felt arterial roadways, hills and bridges were adequately maintained, and were satisfied with the Green Route plowing operation, with little concern raised about nighttime operations and 24/7 parking bans. Residents reported a prominent level of satisfaction with the additional mobility of trails, sidewalks and staircases, and there was improved public awareness of snow clearing programs.

Additionally, a noticeable improvement in adherence to the parking ban resulted in less than 100 tickets being issued this year. Complaint call volumes and service requests for traction control also trended downward this year.

“While we’ve received positive feedback from the community, we know there is always room for improvement. Our greatest challenges to the snow and ice control program remains the variability of weather, pivoting operations from a plow based program to a traction control focus and choosing the right time to execute Green and Grey Route plows,” said Manager Sikora.

In June 2023, Council adopted the revised Integrated and Accessible Transportation Policy (IAATP), which focuses on providing the community with mobility services based on four guiding principles: safe, accessible, well-maintained and accountable.

City Council will consider the future level of service at the May 27 City Council meeting.