Lacombe County tax rates are on the rise.
County council voted on Thursday to increase residential tax rates by 2.5 per cent and non-residential and farmland tax rates 4.5 per cent.
“Despite this increase, Lacombe County ratepayers continue to experience one of the lowest tax rates in the province,” said county manager Tim Timmons.
“The budget reflects the challenges that our economy has had, while allowing us to take advantage of competitive pricing for new infrastructure projects which will benefit our ratepayers for years to come.”
Based on the new rates, 2018 property taxes on a $400,000 residence in Lacombe County will be $2,006, which is an increase of $1.68 from 2017. Residential property owners who experienced a decrease in the market value of their properties of greater than 0.08 per cent will see a reduction in their property taxes.
Property taxes are due on Aug. 31.
The $67.8-million operating budget includes $11.3 million for school taxes and $401,461 for the Lacombe Foundation requisition.
The county says the $2.05-million budget increase reflects inflation costs, increases in the carbon tax, as well as funding for new initiatives such as the RCMP enhanced position to help combat crime in the county.
The $28.9-million capital budget was increased by $9.4 million over 2017 to cover the cost of several big paving projects, including the Alix North Road, Sandy Point Road (Range Road 1-1) and Centreview Road among others, as well as Lacombe County’s contribution towards water and wastewater services for land near the Hwy 2 and Hwy 12 interchange.