WOODLANDS COUNTY – Woodlands County Council approved the 2025 property tax rates at its May 7 meeting.
The approved tax rate includes a 2.9 per cent increase in municipal property taxes over 2024 levels.
“Adjustments to the 2024 interim budget were presented to council at the April 23 meeting and are reflected in the taxation set out through the bylaw,” said Andrew World, Corporate Services Manager. “That includes both municipal taxes and requisitions.”
The total amount to be collected through property taxation in 2025 is $32.48 million. Of that amount, $6.77 million will go toward school requisitions, representing a 12.5 per cent increase over 2024. The remaining $25.71 million will be collected for municipal purposes.
According to World, residential property assessments increased by approximately 105 per cent. For non-residential properties, growth was comprised of 1.6 per cent inflationary growth and 3.1 per cent in new construction assessments. Inflation across the county was recorded at approximately 5 per cent for 2025.
World provided examples to illustrate the impact of these changes. A residential property assessed at $400,000 with no change in value would see a 2.15 per cent tax increase, driven primarily by a 3.3 per cent increase in school taxes and partially offset by a 1.2 per cent municipal reduction. If the same residential property experienced an average assessment increase, the total tax rise would be 8.28 per cent, with the municipal portion accounting for 2 per cent. In comparison, a commercial property of similar value would see a 3.31 per cent increase, with 2.16 per cent attributed to the municipal portion. The average commercial assessment increase is approximately 3 per cent.
Taxes are calculated using mill rates, which are based on property value per $1,000. For 2025, there is a 2.25 per cent reduction in the mill rate for residential improvements and farmland. Non-residential properties, however, saw a 2.81 per cent increase in the mill rate. The tax bylaw also establishes a minimum property tax of $50 per parcel.
The 2025 small business property tax subclass has been set at 75 per cent of the non-residential rate, the maximum permitted under the county’s small business tax regulation.
Senior housing requisitions for 2025 include $588,560 for Lac Ste. Anne and $52,754 for Barrhead & District Social Housing. The latter represents a 12.8 per cent increase from the previous year, though the requisition amount remains below what will actually be collected this year, according to World.
Policing costs for the fiscal year from April 2025 to March 2026 are budgeted at $478,539 under the Protective Services operating expense.
