February 2025 Newsletter

Hello Ward 14!

We are one month into 2025. Maybe you made some resolutions this year. Maybe you did not. Either way, I find it’s important to be persistent. Are you succeeding? Keep it up! Are you falling short? Keep trying!

Perseverance is also the key to making sure my constituents are aware of their property assessment notices. I try to mention it two or three times each year. I want to touch on that this month, as well as give a bit of an explanation on how this impacts your property taxes.

Storm ponds, and storm drains will make an appearance in this newsletter too, but first a topic that popped up just a few weeks ago—what to do when your blue, black, or green cart gets blown away.

Blustering Winds and Runaway Bins

We have seen some strong winds since the beginning of this year. There were a few times when the winds were strong enough to make you think about the integrity of your home let alone your blue, black and green bins. All you had to do was look around to know that many bins tried to make an escape.

What you need to know is that the City replaces damaged or missing carts for free. You can request a new one by calling 311 or requesting one online by visiting the Get, replace, or fix a blue, green or black cart link.

The City recommends taking a few steps to prevent bins from being taken or lost.

• Write your address on the side of your carts.
• Write down the serial number and keep it somewhere safe. This helps us identify your carts.
• Store your carts on your own property.

Your cart may need repair or replacement if:

• The lid is missing including the hinges.
• The lid does not fully cover your garbage, recycling or composting.
• The body of the cart is cracked.
• The wheels are missing or broken so the cart won't stand upright.

Property Assessment Notices Are Out!

Property Assessment notices are out. These are important documents, so make sure to pay attention to them. They will partially decide how much property tax you pay this year, and you have the right to question them and even appeal if necessary.

To help you review your property assessment the City offers general resources on calgary.ca/assessment and property specific tools through the secure logon feature of Assessment Search at calgary.ca/assessmentsearch. By logging onto your property specific account on Assessment Search, you can:

• Check the property details used to figure out the assessed value of your property.
• Update your residential property details. It’s important you keep your information current, as incorrect property details may result in assessments that do not accurately reflect the value of your property.
• Compare your property’s assessed value to other similar properties in your area to ensure fairness.
• Review real estate market trends and learn how your property was assessed.

If you have questions about your 2025 property assessment, please contact us during the Customer Review Period which runs until March 21. You can also visit calgary.ca/assessment for any other information you might need.

A Note On How Your Taxes Are Calculated

I have been through a few years of property assessments as a Councillor. There is always some pushback from people on values, but this year more than any other (maybe because of sharply increasing values) I have seen commentary that I want to address. It is the commentary that the City is collecting more taxes because your property value went up. That is not the case, and here is why.

The system that decides your property taxes is mostly determined by provincial legislation. The system is specifically designed so that City Council is setting its budget based on what is seen as its financial requirements and not collecting extra based on increases in new construction or increases in aggregate property value.

At a high level, what you pay in property taxes is determined by two factors:

1. The City's budget decided by City Council.
2. The assessed value of your property (particularly the change in your property's value in relation to other properties).

The first factor is the part that City Council decides. Council figures out the overall amount of money that it will collect from property taxes.

The second factor is your assessed property value. Specifically, the determining factor is the change in your property's value from year to year IN COMPARISON to the change in value for other properties.

If you think of the City's property tax revenue as a pie. The first factor (the budget) would determine the size of the pie, and the second factor (the change in assessed property value) would determine how the pie is portioned.

The intention and the result are that properties which have increased in value will have an increase in tax share and vice versa.

I hope that helps. I encourage you to explore calgary.ca/ourfinances if you are looking to learn more about where your taxes go and how they are determined.

Stay safe, stay off storm ponds

This winter season, be safe while enjoying the outdoors and stay off storm ponds. Any recreational activity including skating, sledding or even walking across a storm pond is not allowed under the Stormwater Bylaw because it’s simply not safe.

There are more than 300 storm ponds across Calgary. They might look like natural ponds, but they don’t function the same and the ice is less predictable.

Unlike a normal pond, storm ponds are designed to collect runoff to protect communities from overland flooding and clean water before returning it to the river. The water in storm ponds holds road salt and other contaminants that eat away at the ice. Beneath the ice surface, water is constantly flowing, and levels are changing as water moves between inlet and outlet pipes. This weakens the ice and creates unstable air gaps and varying ice thickness.

Skaters of all levels can use one of the over 65 volunteer maintained Adopt-a-rinks in communities across Calgary or a City of Calgary natural ice rink. Rinks kept by The City are among the safest places to skate because they are checked daily for ice thickness and quality, and surfaces are flooded as needed to make sure they’re safe for skating.

To find safe outdoor skating rinks near you visit calgary.ca/rinks. 

Help Us Clear Storm Drains

A Chinook can sometimes turn inches of snow into puddles within hours. If storm drains are clogged with snow and ice it can lead to large puddles on our streets.

We maintain more than 60,000 storm drains across Calgary, but a sudden melt can make it difficult to attend to all of them within a short period of time. This is why we ask Calgarians for their help.

• Check the storm drain near your home to clear debris (e.g. leaves, sticks) or remove ice and snow.
• If there’s a buildup of snow or ice and it’s safe to do so, create a channel to help water flow towards the drain.

If water is pooling on your street and you suspect the storm drain is frozen, contact 311. We have specialized boiler equipment that pushes out steam to get the storm drain thawed and running again.

If you are sending a “Storm Drain/Catch Basin Concern” through the 311 web or mobile app, make sure to take a photo and attach it to your request. This goes a long way in helping us respond on a priority basis. If the storm drains in your area are covered with snow and difficult to find, visit calgary.ca/stormdrains and use our map to find the location.

Our crews will make requests in areas affecting public safety and where excess water may cause property damage a priority.

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Feel free to contact me any time. The best way to contact me is by visiting calgary.ca/contactward14 or calling (403) 268-1653.

Sincerely,

Councillor Peter Demong