Municipal property tax increase less than one per cent

Payment deadline June 28

Strathcona County has kept residential property taxes for the municipal portion to a 0.8 per cent increase.

Tax notices will be mailed in mid-May. The tax payment deadline is Friday, June 28, 2019.

“We’ve held the tax increase to well below inflation, while maintaining services and even funding some new initiatives for our community,” says Mayor Rod Frank. “We’ve achieved this with a focus on the citizen, priorities and on quality of life."

“Prudently managing our finances, and being fortunate to live in a community where industrial investments fuel positive growth, factor positively on our ability to keep property taxes comparably low.”

Property taxes fund and maintain municipal services including roads, fire, ambulance, police, recreation, parks, culture, transit, planning, agricultural, economic development and community social programs. 

In addition to municipal taxes, Strathcona County is legislated to collect taxes on behalf of the Government of Alberta for education and the Heartland Housing Foundation, and also collects taxes for Strathcona County Library. When all four tax requirements are weighted together, the total tax increase is approximately 1.8 per cent.

On a sample single family residential property assessed at $432,000, property taxes will be a total of $54 more for the year — the breakdown is approximately $31 more to the Government of Alberta for provincial education; $15 more to Strathcona County, $7 more to Heartland Housing Foundation, and $1 more to Strathcona County Library.

Property owners may see an amount more or less than this, depending on how their property assessment changed relative to the average. July 1, 2018 is the assessment valuation date.

Property owners can check the estimated tax amount on their property using the County’s online Property Tax Calculator. This self-service tool provides the total amount, and annual and monthly property tax breakdown. It also shows how tax dollars are divided to deliver municipal services.

More information is available at strathcona.ca/assessmentandtax.

Set in the centre of Alberta’s energy and agricultural heartland, Strathcona County is a thriving, successful and vibrant community of over 98,000 residents. Strathcona County is made up of the urban area of Sherwood Park and a large adjacent rural area of farms, acreages and smaller hamlets. It is home to 75 per cent of hydrocarbon processing in Western Canada. Strathcona County is a leader in environmental conservation, and 55 per cent of its land is within the UNESCO Beaver Hills Biosphere. With a focus on economic, governance, social, cultural and environmental sustainability, Strathcona County is committed to balancing the unique needs of its diverse community.

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Contact: Strathcona County Communications, 780-410-6595