By Aaron Schulze

Melfort council changes financial service fees for 2019

Nov 13, 2018 | 4:00 PM

Residents in Melfort will be encouraged to check taxable assessments before deciding to appeal.

Melfort council voted on Nov. 5 to adjust fees for financial services such as taxation, assessments, general, and legislative.

The new assessment appeal fee for residential property will be $50, while commercial/multi-residential will be based on the property’s value.

Commercial property from $0 – $500,000 will see a $150 fee, $500,000 – $1 million will be $500, and property over $1 million will be $600.

Mayor Rick Lang said the previous assessment appeal fees were little enough that sometimes people would appeal even if was unjustified.

First meeting

Interest piqued after Melfort Neighbourhood Watch program info meeting

Apr 24, 2024

Wasted fish

Fish abandoned at Deschambault Lake

Apr 23, 2024

Leadership Needed to Stop Federal Overreach

Apr 23, 2024

“The nuisance component of the appeals, people were appealing just for the sake of appealing even though they didn’t really have a strong case,” Lang said. “The time and effort that was put in by city administration to prepare for that appeal was costing more than it was worth to process it.

“If they have a valid appeal, they’re still going to appeal, because if they win it’s going to cost them nothing.”

The Saskatchewan Assessment Management Agency does an assessment of properties based on its own standards, and if property owners feel the assessment was unfair they can appeal. Lang said that appeal goes to the appeals boards and there’s a cost involved with that.

The financial service fee changes will be effective starting Jan. 1, 2019.

aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow