Municipal Politics

[Rollerstud98]

N

So that's where that N went.

[Rollerstud98]

So the large open top building replace McMahon? Would like to know more about that. Just a FIFA regulation sized field.

[Rollerstud98]

Originally Posted by suburbia

Because it is not made of lego, and you also need to design it fully before you start laying out the bricks.

Fuck you're dumb.

[Corndogger]

Originally Posted by Rollerstud98

Fuck you're dumb.

And to make matters even worse he's being listened to by those who are in power while people like you and me are labeled as racist idiots because we don't blindly agree with them.

[suburbia]

Originally Posted by Corndogger

And to make matters even worse he's being listened to by those who are in power while people like you and me are labeled as racist idiots because we don't blindly agree with them.

What the fuck are you talking about?

I wanted an elevated train, remember?

[Corndogger]

Originally Posted by suburbia

What the fuck are you talking about?

I wanted an elevated train, remember?

Which goes to show just how stupid that idea is. Elevated as its place but not in that section of the line.

[milomilo]

Originally Posted by Corndogger

Concerning the field house $235 million doesn't seem like it will get as a very good facility. If the plan is to cheap out then why bother? Also, why would it take 4.5 years to build?

I think it just shows how overpriced arenas are. But seriously, if an arena is $550 million then less than half the price for something with half the capacity and is probably easier to build seems reasonable.

Is there a better image or map available? The one in the article appears to be completely out of scale.

[suburbia]

Originally Posted by milomilo

I think it just shows how overpriced arenas are. But seriously, if an arena is $550 million then less than half the price for something with half the capacity and is probably easier to build seems reasonable.

Is there a better image or map available? The one in the article appears to be completely out of scale.

The one in the article was not the city's render, rather it was from the Bill Smith / Post Media mafia.

[MalcolmTucker]

Field House isn’t being built with a roof designed to hold up a huge load. While the roof is a longer span it can be rather minimal.

[jawagord]

City council has really screwed up the business tax in Calgary. It’s as ridiculous as it is tragic that these small businesses are having their taxes double in 2 years, we are going to be a city with empty stores to go along with empty office towers. When you have a lefty like Don Braid musing about the provincial government disbanding City council you know it’s bad.

I feel like wearing a “Don’t blame me I voted for Smith” button!

https://calgarysun.com/opinion/columnists/bell-kenney-urges-dont-hike-taxes-on-businesses

https://calgaryherald.com/news/politics/...co-the-province-should-fire-city-council

[milomilo]

As if Smith would have changed anything. That spineless goon wouldn't have dared make any big changes to anything lest he upset anyone. I did vote against Druh Farrell though, if that helps.

But I (probably partially) agree. Those tax hikes are obscene, and frankly were obscene even before the increases. While I'm sure some spending restraint can be made, the main thing is to shift the tax burden away from businesses.

[MalcolmTucker]

This entire thing is still just the tax shift, nothing more, nothing less. I have to wonder how much of this is also being caused in the city not sending out consolidated notices: the business tax and the non-residential property tax were sent out separately in the past. So now with year over year comparisons now that the business tax is gone, some businesses think they have an increase larger than the increase due to the tax shift (which is still a problem).

[suburbia]

Originally Posted by jawagord

City council has really screwed up the business tax in Calgary. It’s as ridiculous as it is tragic that these small businesses are having their taxes double in 2 years
<>
I feel like wearing a “Don’t blame me I voted for Smith” button!

Jawagord - you really need to become educated about matters before throwing gasoline. Only Nenshi, Gian-Carlo Carra and Farrell voted in favour of supporting small businesses with relief. The vote went 12-3 against, with the no-sayers being led by Smith slate stalwart Farkas.

[Corndogger]

Originally Posted by suburbia

Jawagord - you really need to become educated about matters before throwing gasoline. Only Nenshi, Gian-Carlo Carra and Farrell voted in favour of supporting small businesses with relief. The vote went 12-3 against, with the no-sayers being led by Smith slate stalwart Farkas.

You need to stop spreading bullshit. The people who voted "No" have a much better plan that will help to address the issue long term. Your boy Nenshi is a short-term thinker and doesn't care about our money.

[SteveP]

Originally Posted by Corndogger

You need to stop spreading bullshit. The people who voted "No" have a much better plan that will help to address the issue long term. Your boy Nenshi is a short-term thinker and doesn't care about our money.

Yup, you'd think Suburbia and Nenshi were bum buddies they way Suburbia support shim at every turn.

[jawagord]

Another day, another inner city small business story on the tax shaft that our mayor and city council have let happen. I can’t imagine how devastating it must be for these business owners to see their dreams put in jeopardy by our city council. These small business are what make the city fun and interesting, they represent people’s passion and ingenuity. It will make for a lesser city that no fancy new library will make up for if we drive these businesses into bankruptcy.

A chalkboard sign outside of the Social School in Inglewood expresses owner Kelly Doody’s concerns over a massive increase in property taxes.

“The sign says the property tax on our building went from only $1,500 a month last week to $6,400 a month this week . . . I feel shocked and disappointed. I’m terrified for my small business friends in Inglewood and throughout the city,” said Doody.

Around 64 per cent of commercial property owners will see double-digit increases on their tax bills this year due to a redistribution of non-residential taxes as a result of plunging property values downtown. Doody said that just a year ago when she moved her company to the Inglewood building, the property was valued at $800,000. Now it’s valued at $2.2 million, which led to a significant increase on her tax bill.

https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/inglewood-businesses-shocked-by-property-tax-hike

[240glt]

We need to figure out a more stable method of taxation that doesn't allow for massive swings in value based on occupancy. Of course a fully leased office building is worth a lot more than an empty one on the market, but is that really the metric they should be using to determine value ? The city doesn't care if my rental property is occupied or empty, it's taxed at the same rate regardless. Maybe it's time to look at how value is determined for commercial buildings and take occupancy out of the equation

[MalcolmTucker]

Originally Posted by 240glt

We need to figure out a more stable method of taxation that doesn't allow for massive swings in value based on occupancy. Of course a fully leased office building is worth a lot more than an empty one on the market, but is that really the metric they should be using to determine value ? The city doesn't care if my rental property is occupied or empty, it's taxed at the same rate regardless. Maybe it's time to look at how value is determined for commercial buildings and take occupancy out of the equation

I think the direct occupancy factor is gone now that the business tax is gone.

The indirect occupancy impact which reflects reduced value of a property class when a large portion of properties are unoccupied is by design, and the same if let’s say 10% of condos were unoccupied the value among them would drop too. Who designed the current system? I believe it was in the 1990s under the Klein government where we switched to revenue neutral tax assessment. The intent was to not have city revenue go up automatically when assessed value increased, forcing cities to make a choice each year on their revenue needs.

That the system reacts poorly to a sectoral decline (one asset class) does create problems, but the design of the system is entirely in the hands of the provincial government.

[milomilo]

Property tax has always struck me as a very poor way of collecting revenue, but then again many of our taxes are poorly designed. I just don't see the political will to change that though, any change would see winners and losers and the losers are always louder.

[suburbia]

Originally Posted by milomilo

Property tax has always struck me as a very poor way of collecting revenue, but then again many of our taxes are poorly designed. I just don't see the political will to change that though, any change would see winners and losers and the losers are always louder.

From what I recall, the municipalities have been trying to get the province to change the regulations, so that they are not stuck to just property taxes, but the movement from the province has been slow.