Q: How come the mill rate went down, but my taxes went up?
A: Beiseker's mill rate did actually drop by a small amount, however our overall assessment rose. That means that some of the properties in the village actually went up in value from last year.
If your property was one of those, your taxes increased. Most increases were small (less than $10/month), but a few of us took a bigger hit. Tax payers can contest their assessment but they cannot contest their taxes. Contact the Village Office (403-947-3774) for more information.
Q: What do we get for our tax dollars, anyway?
A: A small municipality must provide the same basic services as a large one. Beiseker must provide its citizens with most of what Calgary provides. Your tax dollars pay for streets, roads, sidewalks, street lighting, road maintenance, water and sewer services, a fire hall, garbage pick-up and disposal, parks and recreation, public buildings, and parks along with a host of other things to keep this village running smoothly.
Q: We don't even have a fire department, do we?
A: On the contrary, our volunteer fire department is, in my opinion, one of the best in Canada! That opinion is shared by others who know more about fire departments than I do! Our fire hall is open and manned twenty four hours a day, seven days a week for more than 340 days a year! I am very proud of our Beiseker Fire Department!
Q: You said Beiseker Community School was the only community school in Rocky View. What about Springbank Community High School?
A: To my knowledge, Beiseker and Springbank both were declared community schools. That means they could go ahead with the process of becoming a community school. But Beiseker was the only one to complete that process, so it became the only Rocky View School to be designated a Community School by the province.
Q: Is the village going to do anything about repairing or repaving the rest of the streets and sidewalks in Beacon Heights?
A: After we replaced the pavement on Chinook Crescent, the other streets in the subdivision showed their ages too. We have a fair bit of grant money, but we have many improvement projects ready to go, too.
Council will have to crunch the numbers and see how much they can do with the funds we have and our priority list. Those who are very concerned about the street of sidewalk in front of their home should. If you're one of them, please, write a letter to council detailing your concerns. It can be addressed to council via the Village of Beiseker (Box 349) or delivered directly to the Village Office.
