Members of city council are applauding a pilot project that provides low-income senior citizens with some relief when it comes to paying property taxes.
Last February council approved the senior homeowners’ property tax assistance grant as a three-year pilot project. The grant is designed to provide financial help to eligible homeowners who might be affected by increases in municipal property taxation by providing up to $100 per household.
In 2009, a total of 497 grants were issued for a cost of $49,700, even though the program budget was approved at $55,000. This year the budget remains the same and has been included in the city’s municipal operating budget.
The feedback from residents about the program has been nothing but positive, according to Dean Screpnek, general manager of corporate services.
“This was an opportunity to help mitigate some of those impacts on seniors,” said Screpnek. “We’ve had very good feedback from the community in terms of the support for the program.”
The partnership with the provincial government is similar to other programs already in place in Edmonton, Calgary, and Strathcona County.
In order to be eligible for the grant, qualification was based on age, income and home ownership. The criteria basically mirrors the provincial Alberta Seniors Benefit and Education Property Tax Assistance programs, meaning the city has little leg work to do on the administration side.
Coun. Lorie Garritty spearheaded the idea last spring shortly after council set the 2008 tax rate.
While the average property tax hike was 5.9 per cent in 2008, significant increases in property values over the preceding 12 months resulted in double-digit increases for some homeowners, particularly those in older bungalows, condominiums and duplexes.
Garritty echoed the comments of fellow councillors at a finance and audit committee meeting Monday, saying he is very pleased with how the program has been operating.
“It wasn’t something we had to put a whole lot of money into and hire somebody to administer the thing. The provincial government looks after that, which is awfully important,” said Garritty, who noted even though $100 might not sound like very much, it does make a difference to a senior struggling to make ends meet.
“It’s definitely appreciated. I think every little bit helps.”
