Town appoints library board, declares Public Works Week

Posted on April 20, 2023 by Ryan Dahlman

By Anna Smith

Commentator/Courier

The Town of Bow Island enjoyed a relatively quiet council meeting on the evening of April 11, alongside the fresh spring weather.

Council passed the first reading of the new tax rate bylaw, which would slightly reduce what is charged in a move to balance out the increased assessment of the town.

“We’ve seen a six per cent increase in our overall assessment. And so that allowed us to reduce the tax rate just slightly, so there’ll be a small reduction in the tax rate that we’re charging. The residential tax rate has dropped at both one per cent. And our commercial tax rate is going down about three per cent. And that was because of our overall assessment going up,” said Dave Matz, CAO.

Second and third readings will take place at the next meeting, said Matz. 

A motion was also passed to declare May 21–27 to be Public Works Week, in recognition of everything that the team does to keep the town running smoothly. This is in line with National Public Works Week, which takes place in many towns and municipalities throughout Canada.

“We want to recognize what they’re doing. Thank them for all the work that they put in, they put in a lot of extra hours. When there’s an emergency they work 24 hours straight to get it (done), any water breaks or any problems fixed,” said Matz. “It’s just a thank you. We recognize the work that they do, and the dedication they have.”

Amanda Driscoll and Tabetha Hystad were appointed to the Bow Island Library Board with a term expiry date of Dec. 31, 2025.