Finance

FINANCE DEPARTMENT

The Finance Department is responsible for the municipality's finances. These responsibilities include: tax collection, accounts receivable and accounts payable, customer service, financial reporting to municipal departments and Council, and payroll. In addition to the usual accounting function and the preparation of financial statements, the department is responsible for the safekeeping of the municipality's money and securities, for investment of funds and for ensuring that municipal expenditures are made in accordance with Council's policy, applicable bylaws and other government legislation and regulations.

The Finance department is also responsible for the preparation of the provisional and annual budgets and for the compilation of the 5 year capital expenditure program. The Chief Financial Officer is Council's financial advisor and is expected to provide advice on financing capital projects, balancing the budget, the legality of expenditures and taxation policy.

MUNICIPAL BUDGET

Each year the District and Council create a balanced budget for the upcoming fiscal year. This includes everything needed to make Chetwynd a great place to live. We provide and maintain great  outdoor recreation services and facilities, snow clearing, garbage collection and other public works services, and protection services such as our local fire department.

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION (SOFI)

All municipalities are required annually to submit a Statement of Financial Information (SOFI) Report to the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development under section 2 of the Financial Information Act.

Chief Financial Officer

Crystal Hillton
250-401-4106

TO CLAIM YOUR HOME OWNER GRANT:

Eligible property owners can apply for their Home Owner Grant using the following options:

REGISTER FOR ONLINE ACCOUNT ACCESS:

You can now access utility, accounts receivable, business licence and property tax information by registering for online account access at:

https://icityonline.aspgov.com/Chetwynd/live/

 

TAX SALE

The Local Government Act requires the City to sell properties with three years of unpaid Property Taxes at public auction.

Properties which may be included in the Annual Tax Sale will be listed in the local newspaper twice in the weeks preceding the Tax Sale.  If the delinquent taxes are paid before 10:00 am on the date of the Tax Sale, the property will be removed from the Tax Sale auction.

Avoiding the Tax Sale
  • To ensure your property is not offered for sale at public auction you must pay your delinquent taxes by 10:00am on the date of the public auction. You are not required to pay you arrears or current taxes to avoid Tax Sale
  • To avoid having your property listed in the paper you must pay your delinquent taxes by early September
  • Contact your mortgage holder if you are unable to pay the delinquent tax balance
  • Call our office at 250-401-4100 for the delinquent amount outstanding including daily interest or refer to your Tax Sale letter
Redemption

The current owner has one year after the property is sold at Tax Sale to pay all taxes, interest, and charges to retain ownership of their property. This is called the redemption period.

Registered charge holders have full right to redeem the property. To redeem the property, the charge holder or owner must remit the full upset price, plus interest on the purchase price at a rate set by the Province, within 1 year of the Tax Sale.

As soon as the property is redeemed, the Collector will refund to the Tax Sale purchaser the purchase price, plus interest to the date of redemption.

The Local Government Act, Part 16 Section 665 Effect of tax sale on rights of owner is summarized below for your convenience. (In the event of a discrepancy the Local Government Act will prevail).

  • Once a property is sold at the tax sale, the original owner continues to have the right to live on the property.
  • Purchaser is registered on title, and has the right to enter the property in order to maintain it in proper condition.
Property Not Redeemed

If the property is not redeemed during the 1-year redemption period, the Collector registers the new owner at the Land Title Office, thus cancelling all previous charges, except for those matters set out in Section 276(1) (c) to (g) of the Land Title Act.

Section 276 lists rights and claims which continue to exist after a property is sold at Tax Sale including, but not limited to easements, restrictive covenants, rights of way, and liens or mortgages of the Crown or Improvement District.

Resources

The information provided on this page is intended as a general outline of the Tax Sale process.  For complete information prospective purchasers should consult the governing legislation such as:

Before Attending a Tax Sale
  • View the properties from the curbside, you are not given property access
  • Do a title search online at www.ltsa.ca to determine if there are any charges or liens on the property. Not all liens will clear with the tax sale process (ie. Province of BC or Government of Canada)
  • Talk to your bank
  • Call our office at 250-401-4100 to determine if the advertised properties are still included in the tax sale
PROPERTY TAX ASSESSED VALUES

BC Assessment is responsible for setting the assessed property tax values. Information is available on the BC Assessment website on how assessed values are set and for the process on appeal. For more information, check out the BC Assessment link below, or the YouTube videos explaining how assessment works.

 

https://info.bcassessment.ca/services-and-products/Pages/Property-Assessments-and-Property-Taxes.aspx

https://www.youtube.com/user/BCAssessmentVideos