by LAURA KEIL
Taxpayers in the Valemount area now know for certain what will be asked of them at the polls in September to help buttress the curling rink.
The Valemount Curling Club – a non-profit – approached the regional district to take over the building’s operations. The District will now ask Valemount-area taxpayers to take on the curling arena as a taxable service. It is currently financed by the non-profit through user fees and fundraising.
The Regional District Board passed a resolution at their Aug. 17th board meeting to approve the wording for the assent vote (formerly called a referendum), which will ask taxpayers to be on the hook for an average of $21.30 per $100,000 of assessed property value or $64,350/year, whichever is greater.
Residential properties will be taxed at $13.40 per 100,000 of assessed property value and commercial properties at $32.83″ per 100,000 of assessed property value. Those with a home valued at $200,000 would thus pay $26.80/year and those with a business valued at $200,000 would” pay $65.66/year.
The Curling Arena requires roughly $125,000 of upgrades to the ice plant, which would be covered by a grant, according to the curling club.
The club has roughly 30 members. It puts on several bonspiels each year including curling lessons for children. The club also hosts dances and special events.
*This story has been updated from its original version
