Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Is this just a new tax on top of what we already pay?
A. No. The basic services fee is used for infrastructure capital road improvements which is currently taken from existing tax revenues. The change was introduced to apply fairness in taxation for Corman Park property owners. Every property owner will now pay the same amount each year, $235 per property.

Q. Will the rate be continued or increased next year?
A. I cannot speculate on next year’s budget. When we begin those deliberations, we will have a better idea of R.M. revenues and R.M. needs. This will be determined during the 2026 budget process.

Q. What is this revenue going towards?
A. The basic service fee is used for capital infrastructure road improvements.

Q. Why is this change considered fair?
A. It is not fair for some property owners to carry the financial burden while others receive the same services for less. 

Q. Why was the charge not applied to each property class?
A. The application of the basic service fee is to bring fairness in taxation to Corman Park property owners. If the fee were to be charged on all property classes, it would place a greater financial burden on some property owners over others. This change is about fairness. All property owners will pay the same amount this year.

Q. Why were debentures used to cover the budget shortfall?
A. The R.M. used a portion of the debentures to cover half of the shortfall and service fees to cover the other half. 

Q. Why didn’t Council use its budget reserves to cover the shortfall?
A. The reserves are traditionally in place to cover unexpected expenses. Yes, they can be used to cover budget shortfalls, but it is best practice for a council not to get into this practice as the reserves can get depleted quickly. This can create future budget shortfalls and other financial issues.

Q. How much are my taxes going up?
A. For property owners paying more than $235 per year, the basic service fee will benefit them by paying less, and those currently paying less than $235 a year will see a small increase to their payment.

Q. How much are my taxes going down?
A. For property owners paying more than $235 per year, the base tax will benefit them by paying less, and those currently paying less than $235 a year will see a small increase to their payment.

Q. How are these decisions being made?
A. Council looked at many options and decided on a basic service fee that is equally applied to all property owners in the R.M. Any tax increases (be it a municipality or the Province) are communicated through the budgetary process. For 2025, a basic service fee has been introduced through the budgetary process as it was the fairest.

Q. Will I only see the $235 basic service fee applied to my tax bill?
A. It depends. Historically the R.M. has required reassessment to be revenue neutral, meaning no additional revenue is generated for the R.M. due to changes in property assessments. Whether property assessments increase in a tax calculation or decreased due to changes in assessed values – the R.M. still receives the same amount of property tax revenue. However, if your assessment went up greater than:

• 14% for residential you may see a slight increase to what you paid in 2024
• 17% for commercial you may see a slight increase to what you paid in 2024
• 37% for agriculture you may see a slight increase to what you paid in 2024

If your assessment was less than the above noted increases in each category your tax bill would see a slight decrease to what you paid in 2024.