Lethbridge city council has voted in favour of cancelling a scheduled 1.8 per cent increase to property taxes in 2020. The move comes in response to the financial crunch being felt by many residents and businesses recently.
In an 8-1 vote in favour of the bylaw amendment, council directed the city manager to update the 2020 operating budget. The city will be short approximately $2.8 million as a result of the decision.
The move follows a decision last week to allow penalty-free property tax deferrals through September. “What we want to do is, in addition to waiving penalties on late payments — for those who cannot pay their taxes at this time, up to Sept.