Prince Albert city council has approved a new tax to fund additional police officers and rejected a proposed amendment that would have lessened the financial burden on non-profit housing agencies.
The $35 annual base tax will be applied to all properties in the city. Multi-unit residential properties would be charged per unit. The tax is expected to generate $554,505 in 2021, enough to hire four more police officers.
The police base tax was approved as part of the 2021 property tax bylaw, which also saw council increase the minimum tax by $100.
On Monday night, council heard concerns from Brian Howell of Riverbank Development Corporation who said the new police base tax would hurt affordable housing providers who can’t afford to raise their clients’ rents. Howell said he would prefer to see increases go through the general mill rate so the amount properties pay is proportionate to their assessed value.
Council gives final approval to new $35 base tax, rejects amendment to reduce amount for non-profit housing providers
Prince Albert City Hall. Herald File Photo
Prince Albert city council voted 8-1 in favour of passing the 2021 Property Tax Bylaw, which includes a new $35 base tax to fund four new sworn officer positions with the Prince Albert Police Force.
They also rejected an amendment that would have seen Prince Albert’s non-profit housing corporations pay a reduced amount.
Mayor Greg Dionne said residents made it loud and clear during the last election that crime was their number one concern, and paying for more police officers is one of several ways they’re looking to address the problem.
Council passes first two readings of new property tax bylaw despite concerns from landlords and non-profit housing groups
Saskatchewan Landlords Association (SLA) CEO Cameron Choquette speaks to Prince Albert city council during a meeting on April 14, 2021. – Jason Kerr/Daily Herald
A new property tax bylaw that includes a $35 base tax to pay for four new police officers passed the first two readings on Monday despite concerns from the Saskatchewan Landlords Association (SLA) and local non-profit housing groups that the tax would unfairly target them.
Council approved the first two readings by a 7-2 margin after more than one hour of discussion and debate. The third and final reading is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon at City Hall.
“We as council hear all the time that we have problems with crime, we have gangs, all of these situations that are present in the city,” he told the meeting. “We have to do something about it. We have an organization, the John Howard Society that wants to do something about it.”
Ogrodnick argued it would be better to have vulnerable youth living in a supportive, supervised facility than renting an apartment themselves, something he said could very well happen “if we don’t approve this.”
The proposed location of the care home beside Kinsmen Park is shown in red. (Council Agenda Package/City of P.A.)
Prince Albert city council puts brakes on residential care home for at risk youth
In a narrow 5-4 decision Monday night, Prince Albert council nixed plans to move forward with a residential care home for at risk youth in the city.
The John Howard Society of Saskatchewan had applied for a rezoning permit to convert an apartment building on 1
st Avenue West into a supervised facility for about five young people aged 18-21.
Two staff would serve in a supervisory capacity on a 24-hour basis.
The idea was to provide a place for these youth to live while they participated in various programming including work skills training, land-based learning and cultural connections.