With millions in property revenues lost to the fire, Jasper council asks province for budget funding [Video]

The town of Jasper, Alta., is asking the provincial government for budgetary financial support for the next few years to avoid drastically cutting services or implementing significant tax hikes while the community rebuilds.

The request comes as Jasper, which saw an estimated $283 million worth of property value destroyed by a devastating wildfire in July, begins to grapple with how it will manage severely reduced property tax revenue in the years to come.

‘We have not hit the bottom’

“We have not hit the bottom yet,” Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland said during Tuesday’s town council meeting. “Our tax base is going to get even lower before it starts to recover.”

Town administration estimates the wildfire wiped out well over $2 million in rolling annual property tax revenue for the municipality, not including additional revenue the town would have continued to receive in future years in utility fees charged to the 358 homes and businesses that are …