City Charter
The Province announced the details of the new City Charter that both Calgary and Edmonton will be granted on Thursday, 10 August 2017. The Province, however did not specifically grant the City more taxation powers, at this point in time. This is a good thing, as it will hopefully allow the new City Council to prove their restraint in spending money they don't have going forward.
Below is an excerpt from the Edmonton Journal from 10 August 2017 outlining some of the major details of the upcoming City Charter.
"A proposed city charter released Thursday includes new rules allowing Edmonton and Calgary to put extra taxes on derelict or polluted property, boost fines for serious bylaw offences, and create tribunals to handle parking and transit tickets, among other powers.
Alberta’s two largest cities have been working with the province since 2014 to develop a charter allowing them to address issues such as transit, affordable housing and climate change. The draft version now contains 38 regulations aimed at improving services and attracting investment.
While most of the proposals are intended to clarify laws or improve efficiency, there are recommendations that would let the cities boost maximum fines for serious bylaw offences to $100,000 from $10,000 and lend residents money for affordable housing projects or energy efficiency upgrades.
Other regulations would let them:
• Use electronic signs to reduce speed limits on busy roads in bad conditions; require drivers to yield to buses; allow back-in angle parking and make other moves not allowed under the Traffic Safety Act.
• Ensure affordable housing agreements remain on a property when it’s sold to make clear that the agreement continues.
• Establish more stringent environmental and energy conservation requirements than existing building codes.
• Send out assessments, tax notices and school support declarations electronically rather than by mail for people who opt in to the system.
• Alter bar operating hours so they close earlier or at staggered times to avoid a crush of late-night revellers; however, the hours can’t be outside the 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. opening times set by the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission.
The charter doesn’t provide any new taxing powers. Officials have been seeking ways to pressure owners to clean up or redevelop vacant houses and contaminated brownfields for years, and the rules would allow council to create an assessment subclass applying different tax rates to these properties.
The cities have also agreed to work with the province on a new “fiscal framework” that would replace the current grants for construction, major equipment and other capital projects with a formula based on provincial revenues.
More details may be available by the end of the year, but the idea is that the cities share in the risk of variable revenue and have a chance at funding that grows with the economy."
The Province announced the details of the new City Charter that both Calgary and Edmonton will be granted on Thursday, 10 August 2017. The Province, however did not specifically grant the City more taxation powers, at this point in time. This is a good thing, as it will hopefully allow the new City Council to prove their restraint in spending money they don't have going forward.
Below is an excerpt from the Edmonton Journal from 10 August 2017 outlining some of the major details of the upcoming City Charter.
"A proposed city charter released Thursday includes new rules allowing Edmonton and Calgary to put extra taxes on derelict or polluted property, boost fines for serious bylaw offences, and create tribunals to handle parking and transit tickets, among other powers.
Alberta’s two largest cities have been working with the province since 2014 to develop a charter allowing them to address issues such as transit, affordable housing and climate change. The draft version now contains 38 regulations aimed at improving services and attracting investment.
While most of the proposals are intended to clarify laws or improve efficiency, there are recommendations that would let the cities boost maximum fines for serious bylaw offences to $100,000 from $10,000 and lend residents money for affordable housing projects or energy efficiency upgrades.
Other regulations would let them:
• Use electronic signs to reduce speed limits on busy roads in bad conditions; require drivers to yield to buses; allow back-in angle parking and make other moves not allowed under the Traffic Safety Act.
• Ensure affordable housing agreements remain on a property when it’s sold to make clear that the agreement continues.
• Establish more stringent environmental and energy conservation requirements than existing building codes.
• Send out assessments, tax notices and school support declarations electronically rather than by mail for people who opt in to the system.
• Alter bar operating hours so they close earlier or at staggered times to avoid a crush of late-night revellers; however, the hours can’t be outside the 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. opening times set by the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission.
The charter doesn’t provide any new taxing powers. Officials have been seeking ways to pressure owners to clean up or redevelop vacant houses and contaminated brownfields for years, and the rules would allow council to create an assessment subclass applying different tax rates to these properties.
The cities have also agreed to work with the province on a new “fiscal framework” that would replace the current grants for construction, major equipment and other capital projects with a formula based on provincial revenues.
More details may be available by the end of the year, but the idea is that the cities share in the risk of variable revenue and have a chance at funding that grows with the economy."
