City reminds people to pay their taxes in arrears

For properties in arrears without lien registrations, administration recommended starting tax enforcement for properties with arrears as at 2021 and prior years. There are currently 111 properties with $1,493,600 in total tax arrears that haven’t been listed before for tax enforcement. Ten of the properties are commercial and the remaining 101 are a mix between residential, condos, multi-family, vacant and agriculture.

Since administration’s memo was written, two of the 111 property owners have contacted the city to either pay the balance or make a payment arrangement, bringing the tally down to 109 properties. To start the tax enforcement process, the city will have to place advertising in the local newspaper. A copy of the list will also be posted in city hall for no less than 60 days. The advertising must state that if balances are unpaid, the city will move forward with registering a tax lien. All costs are recovered from the property owner.

“A second phase of the enforcement process for properties with arrears for the 2022 year will start later this year, allowing a few months for the first phase to yield some progress,” Pena said.

For properties with tax liens that are already undergoing tax enforcement, the City currently has 118 properties at different stages in the tax enforcement process. Tax arrears for these properties totals $2,867,073. From these 118 properties, 31 properties listed could proceed to the next stage, which is to serve Forms C and D.

The Provincial Mediation Board (PMB) has issued consent for the City to take title for eight of the 118 properties. City administration plans to contact Battle River Law to proceed, and serve a 30-day notice to the property owners to pay all the outstanding balances. A memo will come back to council to inform them which properties were transferred to the city. Tax arrears for these properties amounts to $679,917 in total.

“We have gone and checked these [118] properties, and only eight have not made payments since [about] 2014 or 2015, or really small payments,” Pena said. “So, we are recommending to [note] these eight properties and serve a 30-day notice to make the payments in full, so the City doesn’t get the title. If they fail to make the payments, the City will get the title…”

Council approved administration recommendation to advertise the 109 properties in tax arrears to begin tax enforcement. For the separate properties already undergoing tax enforcement, the City will proceed to serve Forms C and D for the 31 properties indicated, under the Tax Enforcement regulations , and serve a 30-day notice to take title on the aforementioned eight other listed properties.

Mayor David Gillan said for those properties that will be receiving their final 30-day notice, he hopes people follow through and clear up their taxes in arrears.

“I hope people pay heed to that notice,” he said. “It’s very important at this stage.”

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow

by Angela Brown

City reminds people to pay their taxes in arrears

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