NNSL file photo
The Town of Hay River is giving residents a break – and most likely more relief – on property taxes this year.
The town will delay sending out property tax notices, according to Judy Goucher, the senior administrative officer with the municipal government.
The tax notices normally go out at the end of May.
"This year, they'll be going out at the end of July at the earliest, which means the early payment discount would apply at the end of August and final payment would be due at the end of September," said Goucher. "So we're pushing it back a couple of months at least."
That delay is for two reasons.
First, the town is taking that approach because it doesn't have the final assessment roll, Goucher explained. "We were to have our Board of Revision meeting in March and it got cancelled because of Covid. So we're waiting on the final assessment rolls so we can set final mill rates."
Plus, she noted it also gives people a couple of extra months to plan for the property taxes coming out, and it will relieve some of the financial stress during this time of Covid-19.
"It gives people less pressure in terms of they're not going to be sitting with a bill that they get in the mail, knowing that it's due at a certain date and they're not going to be ready to pay it," she said, adding that in a couple of months hopefully most people will be back at work, businesses will be back up and running, and people won't be feeling the pressure of paying late.
Goucher noted that town council is also considering keeping residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural mill rates unchanged from 2019.
"There's no final decision until we get a final certified assessment roll, but they're absolutely seriously looking at that as a way to help people through difficult economic times," she said. "So even though they budgeted for an increase, those classes of property tax will not receive an increase this year."