City hall is proposing to increase taxes by a combined 15 per cent in 2021, which means property owners would likely pay well over $150 more.
That proposed 15 per cent can be broken down into general taxation and utilities. According to the City of Moose Jaw’s 2021 preliminary operating budget document, city administration wants to increase general taxation by 4.05 per cent, which includes:
- 2.87 per cent for municipal property taxes; this would add $42.30 a year or $3.53 per month to tax bills, based on the average property tax bill
- 1.18 per cent in revenue from property taxation for the Moose Jaw Police Service; this would add $17.39 per year or $1.45 per month to tax bills
- An increase to the infrastructure levy of $35 per year, or $2.92 per month, which would raise the overall levy to $65. This helps fund the cast iron water main replacement project. The goal is to increase this levy to $100 per year
In total, this would add an extra $94.80 per year for the average property owner, or $7.90 per month, to property tax bills and generate an extra $1.19 million in municipal taxation for municipal coffers.
The budget document indicates that the average household would pay $1,583.13 annually, or $131.93 per month, in municipal property taxes, “one of the lowest rates in Saskatchewan.”
“All the services that residents of the city expect and enjoy, such as fire, police, snow removal, pools, arenas, concerts, soccer pitches, ball diamonds, pathways, parks, recreation and economic development (the list is extensive), at less than what many people pay for cable/cell phones/internet per month,” the document said, adding in bold letters, “Truly the best deal in the city.”
As for utilities, the City of Moose Jaw is proposing to increase the waterworks utility rate by six per cent to fund capital renewal. This would add $46.32 per year or $3.86 per month. Furthermore, city hall wants to increase sanitary sewer utility rates by five per cent to fund capital renewal. This would add $30.96 per year or $2.58 per month.
These two utilities would add $77.28 per year or $6.44 per month to the average utility bill.
Overall, the additional taxes that property owners could pay next year is $172.08.
“Unfortunately, a zero-(per-cent) mill rate increase is not possible in 2021 without dramatically (affecting) future budget years and potential for large mill rate increases,” city manager Jim Puffalt wrote in the budget document.
“The community has already experienced a loss of non-essential services earlier in 2020, and a vast majority of citizens do not want a city without arenas, pools, libraries, museums, sports fields, fieldhouses and transit. Unfortunately, that is what would be necessary to achieve a zero-mill rate increase … .”
City council will discuss the 2021 budget on Dec. 2, Dec. 9 and Dec. 16, starting at 5:30 p.m.
