A lower-than-expected tax increase is on the way for Rocky Mountain House residents, as the town has passed its tax rate bylaw.
While originally estimated at 2 per cent at budget time, following assessments and final calculations, it’s now coming in at 1.77 per cent.
For the average homeowner, the municipal portion of 8.48 per cent breaks down to about $2,446 per year. That’s an increase of about $45 more per year, or about $3.75 per month.
“I think [the numbers] are very cognizant of what people are struggling with,” says Betty Quinlan, director of Corporate Services. “I think council was very deliberate when they did the budget.”
The bump in taxation is required to address increases in costs for both operating and capital budgets.
The average home owner in Rocky Mountain House will pay about 45 dollars more per year in property taxes. (Town of Rocky Mountain House)
Once adjustments are made, including provincial grants, the net municipal tax is $9,988,584. The school requisition tax is set at $3,215,998 and $164,613 for the Seniors Foundation Requisition.
Betty Quinlan, director of Corporate Services says assessment rate increases were largely driven by inflation.
Throughout town, the assessment for 2025 has increased by $31.1 million to $1,057,257,240. A report presented to council shows the majority of the increase is $26.6 million due to inflation. New assessments came in at $3.5 million— a number Quinlan hopes to see increase in coming years.
“The development isn’t exceptionally large,” she says.
New this year, council passed a bylaw that sets the tax rate for affordable housing at 50 per cent of the residential tax rate. Only 11 properties in town qualify, representing an assessed value of just under $3 million.
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Council heard that 2025 requisitions, including school and seniors’, have increased nearly 12 per cent per cent, or $343,542. The residential increase is 13.50 per cent and the non-residential increase is 9.35 per cent.
These increases are quite a bit higher than prior years, says Quinlan, adding the jump means approximately a 3.45 per cent increase on the overall tax notice.
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Tax notices will be mailed out soon with a due date of July 31.
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