City council has decided to rehire Western Municipal Consulting (WMC) Ltd. to provide board of revision services to hear assessment appeals despite the concerns of a well-known property owner.
Council voted 5-2 during its Nov. 27 regular meeting to have city administration negotiate a new contract with WMC for independent, quasi-judicial board of revision (BOR) services for 2024. This would be the second year the company has fulfilled this role after the City of Moose Jaw transitioned from a local board to a private one in 2022.
Councillors Jamey Logan and Kim Robinson were opposed.
WMC hears assessment appeals and determines if the Saskatchewan Assessment Management Agency (SAMA) made an error in the value or classification of property for assessment purposes.
Annual report
The city paid WMC roughly $89,826 this year, although city hall did not include in this figure the time that finance and city clerk staff gave to support the internal requirements of the BOR processes, a council report said.
In comparison, in 2021, the city paid the part-time citizen board and its secretary $68,000.
In its report to city hall, WMC said it received 138 property assessment appeals this year. Of these:
- 28 people withdrew and agreed to an adjustment or other measure
- Three had insufficient grounds to proceed
- WMC submitted 38 appeals to the provincial Saskatchewan Municipal Board for adjudication
- WMC heard and adjudicated 68 appeals
The province is offering a new option next year for a centralized board of revision through the Nokomis-based ADR Institute of Saskatchewan, the report continued. However, city administration pointed out that ADR charges higher fees than WMC.
A fee comparison between WMC and ADR shows:
- Retainership: $250 per year for both
- Hourly staff rate: $50 for both
- Board member rate: $75 per hour / $150 for residential appeals and $250 per hour for non-residential appeals
If council wanted to return to an in-house BOR, it could in 2025 after city administration determined next year whether residents were willing to fill that role, the document added. Those individuals would have to complete a training program through the University of Regina’s Johnson Shoyama Graduation School.
Property manager’s concerns
Kristy Van Slyck with Veridian Property Corporation asked council to postpone the vote because she thought the report’s informational analysis was incomplete, that there were other issues members should first consider, and that there was no reason to rush this.
She pointed out that there are 25 other certified BORs throughout Saskatchewan, and while not all could provide full services, they could offer advice. Similarly, she wondered whether city administration had contacted past local BOR members for advice; her preference was the return of a local board.
Meanwhile, Van Slyck questioned why council needed to choose a BOR provider now when city hall normally releases the property assessment role in May.
“In 2022, we decided in late April to hire. In 2023, we decided during the Jan. 23 meeting. So I’m kind of curious why we’re deciding this in November … ,” she said.
Van Slyck said she felt as though council had ignored all her concerns that she had brought to past meetings. She said she had offered information and her assistance, but no one from the city had ever contacted her.
“Something doesn’t feel right with the way this is being put forward,” she remarked, noting council should be reviewing this issue from an “unbiased point of view.”
Meanwhile, she noted that the public didn’t have much time to provide input since city hall released the document three days before the meeting. She also questioned why an important contract like this wasn’t being tendered.
Council then discussed the issue for 30 minutes before approving the motion.
The Express will have a more comprehensive story with council’s comments later.
