Lethbridge approves 20 per cent tax hike over four years

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on December 3, 2022.

https://www.medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews

Alberta Newspapers

LETHBRIDGE

Lethbridge city council on Tuesday unanimously approved the four-year operating budget which will result in an annual residential property tax increase of 5.1 per cent.

The budget was unanimously recommended to council when it acted as Economic Standing Policy Committee following a week of deliberations.

“I think we kind of knew the direction that we’d be going,” Mayor Blaine Hyggen said Tuesday.

“We knew it wasn’t going to be a zero when we’ve had three previous years of zero. We knew there had to be some increase when you look at what’s happening currently with an inflation rate of 6.9 per cent.

“So dividing this up over eight years, these four previous and four going forward it’s 2.9 (per cent) so that’s still below inflation. We tried to do the best that we could for sure.”

He said the budget addresses city needs.

Increases to protective services takes up just more than half of the annual increase which will amount to a hike of $129.93 per single family residence based on an average market value of $285,800.

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