Rocky View County will front the necessary $65,000 to install a replacement septic system on a property in Cochrane Lake.
Since January 2011, the lake levels have been steadily increasing and is currently 1.55 metres over the maximum operating levels approved by Alberta Environment, a report to council from county staff explains.
The high water levels cause a septic system located on a residential property within the hamlet to flood. The county hired a septic company to remove the sewage from the septic tank before it could enter the fields.
Meanwhile, Alberta Environment placed a water management order against Regional Water Services Ltd. to start managing water levels and to stabilize Cochrane Lake. Jeff Colvin, director of the company, has appealed the order.
Until the appeal can be heard, the county will pay for the installation and Alberta Environment will reimburse the county for the full cost of installation valued at $65,000.
Council approved the creation of a bylaw, which insures properties with Nav Canada air operations remains taxable.
During council meeting last week, Ted Boyda, Rocky View’s manager of assessment and taxation services, explained to council that this bylaw will be consistent with other bylaws across Canada including the Edmonton International Airport and the Calgary International Airport, which includes Nav Canada air navigation operations as subject to taxation.
He explained that at one point Nav Canada’s properties were deemed exempt by the Calgary Assessment Review Board.
He said the decision was appealed, but in the time it took to sort out an agreement, the city lost three year’s worth of taxes.
By creating a bylaw that identifies the properties as taxable, this will avoid a similar situation from occurring in Rocky View, Boyda said.
“When a commercial area is removed (from taxation) it shifts the burden onto other properties,” he said after council, adding this way it creates more stability in the tax base.
The Nav Canada properties at the Springbank airport generated $3,527.62 in total taxes for 2012, a staff report explains.
In total, 156 of the 1,110 acres are taxable as well as a tower. Boyda said certain Nav Canada properties are exempt from taxes such as runways, beacons, lights and poles.
