By Angela Brown

Town of Battleford expecting delays for tax notices

Jun 23, 2017 | 2:00 PM

Town of Battleford property owners can expect delays in receiving their tax notices, due to some hiccups with a new computer information system for reporting that the town recently installed.

Tax notices were expected to be sent to ratepayers in May, but will now be going out mid-July.

“That’s our goal,” said CAO John Enns-Wind. 

People then have a deadline to submit their taxes in August — the same time taxes are due every year.

The CAO said it hasn’t been determined at this point whether ratepayers will have an extension to pay as a result of the delay, so they should aim to meet their stated deadline.

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“Many municipalites don’t get their tax notice out until this time,” he said. “It’s a reoccurring theme. So right now it is difficult to tell.”

People may see a tax increase this year reflected on their new tax notices, based on their property values.

“It depends on what happens with the evaluation of their house,” said the CAO. “If their house evaluation goes up, then their increase may be a little bit more. If their house evaluation goes down, and it goes down more than the mill rate increase, then they may see a discount. It is very difficult to say on average what is going to happen, but the town’s revenue is going to increase three per cent.”

Enns-Wind said the town is not an exception when it comes to experiencing problems with its new information reporting system software from VADIM this year.

Many other municipalities are also going through the same process and dealing with delays.

During council’s meeting the CAO said: “I know it is frustrating for council. I can assure you it was frustrating on our side as well.”

Battleford and a number of other municipalities had to change their computer information system software this year in order to submit their financial statements both to council and the province.

The town had to extend its deadline for submitting its statements to the province as a result of the complications in implementing the new system.  

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW