County refunds Special Tax

By Stan Ashbee
Sunny South News

Lethbridge County council passed the motion for council to authorize the 2016 Special Tax Refund to be drawn from the Special Tax and Public Works Projects Reserves in the amounts of $403,911.31 and $290,187.56 respectively.
In May 2016, the county passed Bylaw #1464 — Special Tax Bylaw and Bylaw #1165 — Business Tax Bylaw to assist with the Market Access Network project.
Both bylaws were subsequently challenged legally and on Apr. 19 the county received the judge’s decision. The judge, according to a report submitted to council for consideration, ruled in favour of the county’s Business Tax, but the Special Tax was not upheld.
Council, it was stated in the report, will continue to explore other options and alternate solutions to solve the county’s infrastructure deficit.
As a result of the ruling, the county must now refund all taxes collected under Bylaw #1464. The total amount of Special Tax collected in 2016 was $694,098.87.
Village of Nobleford — radio funding request
County council declined the Village of Nobleford’s request for the county to contribute to the purchase of digital radios and pagers for the Nobleford Fire Department and that the county requests the Village of Nobleford to participate in a regional incentive to plan and budget for a regional migration to the AFRRCS radio system, along with other municipalities in this area for the 2017/18 budget year.
Regional pathway
County council passed the motion for council to begin discussions to enter into an agreement with the Link Pathway Society for $1 per year to maintain the pathway once it is completed. The majority of the proposed pathway would run from the Town of Coaldale through Lethbridge County to Henderson Park on the east side of the City of Lethbridge. The St. Mary River Irrigation District (SMRID) does not have a parks and recreation department, so are therefore not in a position to manage parks and related activity, it was stated in a report submitted to county council for consideration.

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