Calgary,
01
October
2020
|
11:21
America/Denver

The City offers property owners first review of their 2021 assessment values

Pre-Roll is underway

The City of Calgary’s commitment to property assessment transparency takes another step forward with the opening of the Pre-Roll Consultation Period today. Running until Nov. 27, 2020, Pre-Roll offers non-residential and multi-residential property owners a preliminary review of their 2021 assessment values for their properties before assessment values are finalized and notices are delivered in January.

We have extended the program by three weeks this year to provide more time for commercial, industrial, retail, office and multi-residential property owners to access their preliminary values and meet with our assessment team. Preliminary values are available to property owners through their secure Assessment Search account. New this year are online tools such as market trend videos, a preliminary tax calculator and updated property details to support owners in this review. Online resources can be found on Assessment Search at calgary.ca/assessmentsearch and calgary.ca/assessment.

“Pre-Roll is an integral part of our commitment to continuously improve customer service in Assessment,” says Eddie Lee, Acting City Assessor and Director of Assessment. “This program, now in its 11th year, offers non-residential and multi-residential property owners opportunities to review their market value data in advance of the mailing. City assessors meet with owners and their agents to further exchange data and trend information so that both parties can feel confident that the value placed fairly represents the market value for that property based on the July 1, 2020 valuation date. For residential property owners we offer the Customer Review Period which starts with the assessment notice mailing in January.”

For The City’s property valuation team, Pre-Roll provides opportunities to collaborate and better understand property owners’ perspectives which may result in preliminary value changes. As a result, Pre-Roll provides greater transparency in the assessment process. Enabling owners to review their preliminary assessed property values in advance of the finalization and mailing improves assessment certainty for both owners and The City.

“By participating in Pre-Roll, property owners are better able to anticipate their share of property taxes before budgetary changes are announced,” says Lee. “Helping owners understand market changes and associated tax implications is a key benefit of this program. We offer a preliminary tax calculator to help owners estimate their 2021 tax obligations.”

Helping owners understand the market value assessment process strengthens The City’s tax assessment process. Market value assessment is the most understandable, fair and equitable mechanism for the taxation process that municipalities have across Alberta, Canada and around the world. In Calgary, every assessed value goes through three levels of confirmation – internal checks and balances, provincial oversight and, most importantly, review by property owners of individual property values. This ensures property owners receive fair and equitable assessments for the purpose of tax distribution.

Calgary property owners’ next opportunity to check, review and compare their home and commercial property values will start on Jan. 14, 2021, when The City delivers the 2021 property assessment notices and the Customer Review Period begins.

We encourage property owners to get their assessment notices faster. Owners can sign up for eNotices by Nov. 30 to receive their assessment notice electronically through their secure Assessment Search account. Going paperless helps the environment and has potential savings of over half a million dollars annually in reduced mailing costs.

To learn more about The City’s property assessment processes, visit calgary.ca/assessment.

-30-