Property Assessment Notices are in the mail

January 24, 2011

Property owners should be checking their mail boxes for their 2011 property assessment notice. The City assessment notices were sent out last week and owners are reminded to review their assessment notice to ensure the information is correct.

“It is important for owners to review the information on their Property Assessment Notice because we use this value to calculate their 2011 property taxes,” said Brian Lutz, City Assessor.
“Each Property Tax Notice is based on the assessed property value multiplied by the property tax rate, which is determined by City Council in May. Overall residential assessments in 2010 were basically flat with an average decrease of about 1 percent,” said Lutz, “although market shifts within the residential sector will create assessments that may increase or decrease more than the average.”

Property Tax Notices are mailed to owners at the end of May and payments are due by June 30, 2011. People who do not receive an assessment notice by January 31 should contact Revenue & Assessment Services. Property tax notices that arrive in May can not be disputed; therefore, owners must try to resolve any concerns they have with their assessments before the deadline stated on the assessment notice.

If property owners aren’t able to resolve their concerns through a conversation with an assessor, they can submit a formal appeal to the Clerk of the Regional Assessment Review Board. Property Assessment Notice appeals must be received by the Clerk of the Regional Assessment Review Board no later than March 21, 2011. Due to recent changes in provincial legislation, there are new requirements in the filing of an appeal. Therefore, property owners are encouraged to submit appeals early to ensure there is sufficient time for processing and review of the appeal. Appeals will be reviewed in the order they are received.

Details on submitting an appeal can be obtained through The Clerk of the Regional Assessment Review Board, located on the second floor of City Hall at 4914 48 Avenue; mail should be addressed to Box 5008, Red Deer, Alberta T4N 3T4.

Property owners can get more information about The City of Red Deer property assessments and taxes at www.reddeer.ca/tax.

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For more information, contact:

Brian Lutz
City Assessor
The City of Red Deer
403-342-8397