January 2018 Newsletter

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Greetings! It is a new year, and if you are reading this you already know there is a new format for this column.

There is so much that I want to tell you each month, but there are also many other worthwhile things that find their way onto the pages of your local newsletter. Your local community association, and your newsletter’s editors have to make tough decisions about what to put in and what to leave out.

I usually push the boundaries of my limited space in a newsletter, so in the interest of saving space for others and making decisions easier for the editors I am going to make a change. Moving forward I will be giving you a summary of what is to come in my column, but then direct you here - to my website - where you will also find all my past columns.

You can find ALL of my newsletter columns by putting calgary.ca/ward14newsletter in the address bar of your browser, or by finding the "Ward 14 Newsletter" section under the featured topics on the Ward 14 homepage.

Here it goes:

Tax Notice Mailing and Customer Review Period

It’s that time of year again, and it is so important that you carefully review your property or business assessment. Any changes that need to be made to your 2018 assessment can only be considered if they are received during the Customer Review Period.

On Jan. 4 the City will mail over half a million property and business assessment notices. This date also marks the beginning of the 2018 Customer Review Period. Property assessments reflect the market value of property on July 1, 2017 and its physical condition on Dec. 31, 2017. The business assessments reflect the typical net annual rental value of business premises on July 1, 2017.

Please review the details of your assessment carefully. Annual market value assessments are legislated under the provincial Municipal Government Act. They provide the basis for calculating property and business tax assessments. By catching an error you could save yourself some money, and even help the Assessment department keep their data up-to-date.

You can get more information about your own assessment, and the assessment process in general at calgary.ca/assessment. If you have questions, you can contact the Assessment customer service line at 403-268-2888 weekdays from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. or 311 after business hours, just make sure to do it before March 12 because that is when the Customer Review Period ends.

Compost your real Christmas tree

The city has been composting Christmas trees for a while now, but the addition of the green bin program has obviously added a new ripple. Now there will be two ways you can compost your real Christmas tree.

The first is the same as before. There will be twelve drop-off locations throughout the City, all open between December 25 and January 31. One of the locations is in Ward 14 at Park 96 (14660 Parkland Blvd S.E.), but you might find the Deerfoot Meadows IKEA location (8000 11th St S.E.) convenient, and City landfills will take them as well.

The second, is to simply put the tree in your green bin. As with taking the tree to a drop-off location, you will obviously need to remove all lights, ornaments, tinsel, string etc. You will also need to make sure that you can close the lid on your green bin, so you will likely need to cut it into small pieces. If that doesn’t work you can follow the steps that you would for branches from your yard - tie small branches together with natural fibre string, or place them in paper yard waste bags. In both cases leave them out on collection day at least one foot from the side of your green cart.

I have given you the gist, but the details can be found at calgary.ca/christmastree. That is also where you will find the full list of drop-off locations. So check it out!

Be a Snow Angel!

In an attempt to keep the holiday spirit going into 2018, I thought I would mention this amazing program. All that it takes to be a snow angel is to help someone clear their snow. Many seniors don’t have the strength to clear their walks. Some people might be on the mend from surgery or an illness and their physical ability is limited. Sometimes it’s just nice to help a neighbour!

When you pick up your shovel to clear your walk this winter, take a few extra minutes to help a neighbour too. You’ll make it easier for everyone to travel your neighbourhood and build a sense of community at the same time. If you want to nominate your own snow angel for some well deserved kudos, or just want a little more information you should visit calgary.ca/snowangels.

That is all for this month. Thank you for following the trail to my online column. I hope you have found it worthwhile. Feel free to contact me anytime!

Happy New Year Ward 14!

- Councillor Peter Demong​