BARRHEAD - Two not-for-profit organizations will remain exempt from Town of Barrhead property taxes.
On Jan. 9, councillors unanimously approved the applications of the Ripple Connection Support Centre (RCSC) (for its downtown drop-in location and thrift store in the industrial district) and the Barrhead Combative Arts Association.
The RCSC is a not-for-profit organization, opened in 2010, that provides services for people with mental illness or brain injuries and their families and caregivers.
The RCSC uses its store to bankroll its programming at the drop-in Centre. The Barrhead Combative Arts Association is a collaboration of the Barrhead Judo, Karate and Juijitsu clubs.
Corporate service director Jennifer Mantay noted the organizations first applied and were granted property tax exemptions three years ago.
She added not-for-profit organizations under Alberta's Municipal Government Act (MGA) and Community Organization Property Tax Exemption Regulation to apply for tax exemption status on properties they own or lease.
Coun. Dausen Kluin said it seems to be a waste of everyone's time, both the organization and the municipality, having to continue the process if everything has stayed the same between applications.
"If we exempt them once, shouldn't they remain exempt until their status changes somehow? For instance, if the Ripple Connection thrift store remains a thrift store [for its other operation], should it need to reapply? " he asked.
Mantay said that under provincial legislation, the longest period the municipality can exempt the groups is three years.
"However, you can go the other way and have them reapply every year if you choose to," she said, adding in 2021, the council opted for three-year intervals. "Our assessor will also know if there is any change in the use of those properties in that period, and if there is a change, the exemption is automatically taken away."
Coun. Rod Klumph asked why the Barrhead Exhibition Association and Agricultural Society and Barrhead Family Community Support Services (FCSS) did not apply for the exemption.
Mantay said that under the MGA, specific organizations are automatically exempt from paying property taxes.
"They still apply, and we send those applications straight to the assessor and do not bring them back to council," she said.
Good news
Municipal Affairs informed the town that their application with the County of Barrhead on behalf of the Barrhead Regional Water Commission (BRWC) for a non-matching $200,000 Alberta Community Partnership (ACP) grant was successful.
The BRWC is an independent body that owns the region's water infrastructure, including pipelines and the water treatment plant. The commission sells the water to the municipalities. They, in turn, sell it to their residents. Their board has six members, including two councillors from both Barrhead municipalities and two members at large.
The ACP is a provincial program that aims to help municipalities remain viable by providing a potential funding stream for large projects.
The water commission will use the grant to commission a comprehensive regional raw water supply assessment study.
