The town council of Jasper, Alta., is set to discuss today if it will ask for funding from the provincial government to offset reduced property tax revenues for the next three years.
The potential request comes as town administration proposes property tax relief for residents affected by a devastating wildfire in July.
One-third of the town’s buildings were destroyed, and the municipality estimates it has lost access to $1.25 million in annual property tax revenue.
Get daily National news
Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
Under the town’s proposal, all property owners would be given a one-month tax break for when a mandatory evacuation order was in place.
Property owners whose homes or businesses were destroyed would have their remaining or outstanding 2024 bill nullified.
The proposal means Jasper would forgo over $1.9 million in municipal property tax revenue this year, or roughly 17 per cent of its overall budget.
Heather Jenkins, the press secretary for Alberta’s Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver, says the ministry would consider the town’s request if one is received.
© 2024 The Canadian Press