Town of esterhazy wordpress hosting
There seems to be two seasons in Saskatchewan, winter and construction. For those people on Rupert Place, your back yard scenery will be looking a bit different this year. The Town has hired Graham Construction to build an additional water reservoir not far from the Water Treatment Plant. It is an underground facility however a larger area will be blocked off for safety reasons until construction is complete. Ball diamond #4 will not be available this year but will return for use next spring. The additional water storage meets the requirements the Town must follow to comply with regulations for the Water Security Agency. This project has been part of the long-term planning process for the Town – this project has been part of that process for approximately 5 years.Construction will be next week.
Provincial legislation requires that properties in Saskatchewan be revalued every four years. The last revaluation was completed in 2013, using values from January 1, 2011. For 2017 the base date will be January 1, 2015. What does base date mean? The base date is basically a date used as a cut-off time for the value of your property. In order, for the province to determine values for all the properties in the province they have a cut-off date they apply to these properties for revaluation. The province arrives at these numbers from real estate transactions as of January 1, 2015. For 2017, residential properties are set to increase approximately 18% provincially, and commercial properties provincially approximately 44%.
All the properties across the province have been revalued including all properties in the Town of Esterhazy. Your new assessment for your property will now show the new value as of January 1, 2015, you will notice a significant increase in the numbers from your previous assessment. Each municipality, including the Town of Esterhazy will use the new taxable assessments, apply a mill rate and establish the municipal portion of your tax bill. Like the provincial government the town has the ability to adjust the mill rate that is applied in order to keep the municipal tax, fair and equitable for all properties within town limits. The Provincial Government sets the mill rate for the education portion of your taxes.
You will be receiving your new assessment notices shortly. First, please keep in mind we will not be able to determine the effect these numbers will have on your property taxes until the mill rates have been set at budget time. Please feel free to stop in at the town office and ask questions – we will do our best to explain the changes to you and provide detailed information.
There will also be an appeal process you may choose to use. Once you receive your Assessment Notice you will have 60 days in which to appeal. This appeal will be put before a “Board of Revision” who will hear your appeal. Appeals must contain specific information in order for them to be given to the board, an assumption that the value is too high or too low is not an acceptable appeal reason. Appeals are based upon an error in valuation, classification, the preparation and/or the content of the relevant assessment roll or assessment notice. Again, please feel free to contact the office and we will be more than happy to provide you with detailed information for your specific property. Another option you may wish to pursue is the Saskatchewan Assessment Management Agency (SAMA) website. SAMA is the provincial government agency that provides all the assessment services for the Town. You may wish to look at your specific assessment or others in town on this site at: sama.sk.ca/sama/ once you receive your assessment notice.
Change is something most people do not like, however in order to keep systems current and relevant sometimes these changes are necessary. Please feel free to ask questions, make inquiries and let’s make sure the values are in line with other properties. We look forward to working with everyone to ensure information is correct and we have a process in place that works for everyone.
I look forward to meeting with you to answer any questions you may have and discuss your assessments with you.
Chief Administrative Officer (CAO)