In a recent council meeting, Brian and Amy Bendfeld raised concerns regarding their property, which falls within the jurisdiction of the Town of Bashaw but carries a rural land description.
Norman and Dianne Schultz, the former owners of this land, had an agreement with the Town of Bashaw stipulating that they would receive reimbursement for the disparity in their taxes if the land were classified as farmland in the County of Camrose, as opposed to being within the Town of Bashaw.
In 2020 Norman Schultz spoke with the assessor and said that the land was no longer being used for farming. On Dec 10, 2020, the Bendfeld’s became the new property owners. Due to the land no longer being farmed and not owned by the Schultz’s, the agreement was no longer in place.
During the council meeting on April 5, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Theresa Fuller clarified that the Bendfeld property is zoned as urban expansion. The current assessor acknowledged that the Bendfelds are not actively engaged in farming activities on the land, leading to higher assessment.
It was recommended that the Bendfelds have their property reassessed based on their farming activities to potentially lower their tax assessment.
Additionally, Mayor Rob McDonald noted that the Bendfelds do not have the highest tax bill, highlighting another issue related to property taxes.
Furthermore, the council discussed the Bendfelds’ address and proposed that they adopt a civic address, specifically 5510-49 Street, Bashaw. The issue with their current address is that it appears as the old Hwy. 21 on Google Maps. Thus, efforts are underway to rename the street to ensure accurate identification of the Bendfelds’ property location.
The council has accepted this presentation as information and will continue to discuss the matter.
Cross-country race route
Al Middleton and Scott Kohlman spoke to the Bashaw town council regarding the Bashaw Town and County Cross-country Run, which will take place on Thurs. Oct. 12.
They will be hosting the Battle River Race Series finale and the Junior High Regional final at the same time.
Due to complaints brought forward, they plan to change the route so that there are fewer road closures which would affect people less.
“I guess the biggest thing is we heard some of the complaints that people have had in the past, so we are actually going to change the route that we’ve got,” Middleton said. “I think one of the biggest complaints from people was not being able to get to appointments at the health centre.’
The new route will not start on the school grounds as in past years; instead, the race will begin at the arena and they will use the tourist booth area for the schools to set up their tents. The gazebo will be used as the timer station.
Council has accepted the presentation as information and will discuss the road closures for the race.
Grant denial reallocates funds
Funds reallocated as the Lease Building roof does not qualify for the Municipal Sustainability Initiative grant.
During the regular council meetings on June 7, the council was told that the Lease Building roof does not qualify for the grant. They now have to put the funds toward another project.
Council now has an additional $38,000 for their paving projects. Due to past water breaks, there is an increase in paving that needs to be done, and the funds will be able to help with the projects.
Council has also approved $38,000 from Unrestricted Surplus to complete the repairs to the Lease Building.
Jessica Campbell
ECA Review
