The Mayor of Delia issued a letter to residents of the village hoping to clarify some allegations that were shared on social media regarding property taxes.
A post was created on a local Facebook page alleging the village has covertly granted a tax reduction for property in the community, based on a resident’s medical condition.
“I take personal exception to the fact that this was all handled allegedly underneath the table to appease aggressive loud individuals. What is given to one in a democracy must be offered to others,” noted the post.
Mayor Jordan Elliott issued a letter that has been posted on social media, noting the post published some “very inaccurate information.”
“Property Assessments are based entirely on the market value of the property and not influenced at all by the medical condition of the property owner. The assessor is audited every year by the Provincial Government and must be within 95% and 105% of the actual value of the property. As with any auditor, adjustments to the norm are highly reviewed and questioned. If the assessor lowered the assessment of a property because the owner was "not feeling well", the assessment would be corrected, and the assessor would fail his audit,” said Elliott in the letter.
It also goes on to note that water consumption is audited the same way, as are penalties.
It does note however the village has had to write off a few utility bills in 2024.
“By order of the Alberta Utility Commission, a few write-offs were made to the utility system. Part of the current definition of "customer" is that the property must be able to use that utility. If a vacant building is no longer connected to the municipal system and the property is in such a condition that the utility cannot be protected or utilized, that building cannot be a "customer". Resulting from this order, the billings for base charges were discontinued and refunded back to the property owner,” the letter stated.
“In 2024 there were a few additional write-offs of utility billings, which were entirely delinquent renters who had left the area and could not be located. This covered a period of a few years.”
