By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on December 11, 2021.
https://www.medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews Outstanding property tax bills in the Municipal District of Taber totalled $5.2 million at the payment deadline in mid-November, officials told Southern Alberta Newspapers. Of that, about $2 million represents new amounts in default from non-residential properties, and $1 million from residential and farm properties. The remainder is carried over from previous years. Councillors were told among commercial and oilfield properties in default, accounts totalling $300,000 were enrolled in an instalment payment plan. Without such an agreement, amounts still owing on Nov. 16 were assessed a five per cent penalty. County voting A byelection to fill a vacant county council seat for the area around Bow Island will take place Feb. 7, the County of Forty Mile announced this week. No nominations for the council seat, formerly held by Reeve Steve Wikkerink, were received ahead of the October municipal election. A new nomination period is now open until Jan. 17 at noon. Division 7 includes areas generally east of Bow Island and includes the hamlets of Whitla and Winnifred. A byelection scheduled to fill the vacant Cypress County seat for Ward 9 (Suffield/Jenner) will also be held on Feb. 7. Nominations in that race close at noon on Jan. 10. Fire ban lifted A fire ban for Cypress County that was in place for most of the summer was lifted on Dec. 8. That allows burn permits to be issued by the county authority, which stressed in a release that “extreme caution” should be exercised at all times while burning, which must be attended at all times by an adult. 14