Strong Towns Steinbach is hosting a public forum to discuss increasing property taxes in the city.
Gary Snider is with the organization, which advocates for safe, livable, and inviting cities. He says a brief presentation on the situation will be given, with lots of time for conversation.
"City taxes are going up if you live in Steinbach. Your mill rate has stayed the same, but your house value, your property values have gone up. So you're effectively going to b e paying a few more hundred dollars in taxes depending on your house value," he explains.
While that can be concerning for some, he reminds taxes do important things for cities and should be paid out—as is residents' legal obligation.
However, he says, some cities in North America are struggling to keep up as infrastructure costs more, and taxes soar.
Snider says the main concern of the forum is to keep as Steinbach strong as it is, and that means looking at its growth model and evaluating what kinds of growth are beneficial for the city.
"I think we're in a good spot with great leadership here in our city, but we also have that great opportunity and responsibility as citizen's to speak up," he says. "Our local government is the most available, most approachable government you can talk to."
Residents are invited to attend the presentation on April 22, at 7 p.m. at the Public Brewhouse and Gallery at the corner of Reimer Avenue and Main Street.
Written with files from Corny Rempel