by Lucie Roy
The Rotary Club of Morinville guest speaker at the breakfast meeting on Wednesday was Morinville Mayor Barry Turner.
On the agenda was the Leisure Centre and a quick overview of Property Taxes and the new Split-Mill Rate.
The Morinville Leisure Centre (MLC) soft opening and sponsorship was covered as well as what the Centre has to offer, and the Grand Opening scheduled for September.
The Leisure Centre is to open May 27 at 6 a.m. and is to be open daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Hours may vary during holidays.
The multi-purpose recreation facility has an arena, field house, running track, fitness centre, children’s play space and a meeting room that can hold up to 15 people.
A variety of drop-in and registered programs will be offered and a brochure with information for summer programming is to be available for the May 27 opening.
Sponsorship and donation opportunities, and interested parties can contact the Sponsorship Committee at sponsorship@morinville.ca for more info.
Turner said there is also an opportunity to have your name on a seat in the Centre.
The Morinville Leisure Centre Concept plan for the remaining 62 acres of the 77 acres purchased for recreation development showed the proposed location of the Rotary Club of Morinville LAV III Monument project with more discussions to take place down the road.
The NHL-sized ice surface has spectator seating for 437 with expandable seating to accommodate 1200 in the future.
The Field House has a boarded surface with sport flooring that can be divided into three basketball-sized courts.
The Track is a 200 metre, three-lane track that can be used for walking and running and can accommodate strollers and wheelchairs.
The fitness centre has a variety of equipment, and the Children’s Play Space has a variety of portable play features. It is recommended for children under 8 years of age and can accommodate up to 25 people.
Property Taxes
Turner said Morinville’s ratio of residential to non-residential is still currently the lowest in the Edmonton region.
For 2019, non-residential taxes will go up approximately 10% more than residential taxes.
For 2019 the increase is based on an overall tax rate increase of 4.98% for residential and 15.48% for non-residential properties.
Market Value
Turner said an additional factor is that Morinville has experienced an increase in non-residential property valuations that were significant and resulted in an overall increase in property tax bills for non-residential properties.
The mayor said this was due to changes in the market value and these properties are not something that Council can control.
Turner said the increase in the overall market value of non-residential properties is an overall good indicator of a strong market for this type of property, but it also has the effects of increasing the overall tax bill for these properties.
Turner will also be the guest speaker at the June 5 Chamber Luncheon.
