Delburne council gave first reading to set the tax rates for 2021 at the April 27 Delburne council meeting held at the Delburne Community Hall.
The mill rate is the same as last year so no increase was made. As every municipality now has to pay for policing, the Village of Delburne is separating the police levy out from the municipal levy, however, the two added together is the same as the mill rate from last year.
Proposed tax rates: residential – 7.0598; non-residential – 18.5625; residential school requisition – 2.6110; non-residential school – 3.7960; homes for the aged – 0.02005; designated industrial – 0.07600; police funding – 0.191574.
Council has given first reading to the tax rate bylaw.
The assessments did decrease slightly. The school requisition did increase from last year.
The 2021 budget did not increase from last year.
Council passed a motion by Coun. Warner to amend the 2021 Interim Budget to include the new assessments.
Budget expenses is $2,373,971; revenues is $1,410,114 and cash required from taxes, including requisitions is $963,857.
Policing
The issue of policing in Alberta engendered some discussion at the council meeting.
Letters of support for retaining the RCMP instead of a provincial police force service were received from the Town of Morinville and the County of Paintearth requesting Delburne to also give support to retaining the RCMP.
A motion by Coun. Wilson to support the RCMP with a letter to K Division in Edmonton was carried.
The letter from Morinville stated points of concern including 65 per cent if respondents across Alberta indicate non-support for a provincial police service.
Also there is little substantiated dissatisfaction with the RCMP service and that municipalities have limited means to increase revenues as they only receive eight to 10 cents for every tax dollar collected for policing.
Ray Reckseidler
ECA Review