2024 ASSESSMENT NOTICES
In April 2024 you may have received an assessment notice in the mail with a 2024 Tax Estimate. This notice would have indicated what changes are being made to the assessed value of your home and information on how to appeal the assessment if it is incorrect. As stated in The Municipalities Act, you have 30 days to appeal the assessment from when the assessment roll is open.
The assessment roll is now closed.
Per Section 214 of The Municipalities Act Town of White City Bylaw No. 464-06 indicates assessment notices produced in a non-revaluation year shall only be sent if the assessed value increased or decreased from the previous year: by $1,000 or by more than 1% of the total assessed value. If you did not receive an assessment notice there are likely no changes to the assessed value of your property. When the assessment roll is opened any resident may request an assessment notice for their property and appeal their property assessment.
Property owners are given 30 days, or 60 days in a revaluation year, to appeal their property assessment.
2021 was a revaluation year, see below to learn more about revaluation.
Every four years, all property values in Saskatchewan are updated in a process called ‘revaluation’. 2021 is a revaluation year. In this revaluation year, all properties across the province are assessed to reflect market values based on sales and rental rates as of January 1, 2019. This means that market values, or events, after that date won’t affect your property’s value until the next revaluation.
A base date is set to ensure equitable assessment for every property in the province rather than the assessed value at the time a home was built or improvements were made. For the past four years assessment has been determined from the base date of January 1, 2015 and for the 2021 revaluation, and the next four years, the base date is January 1, 2019. SAMA uses three appraisal techniques to determine assessed values as part of their Market Valuation System: 1. Cost Approach; 2. Sales Comparison; and 3. Property Income. The base date is used as a common factor.
Property owners received an assessment notice, with a tax estimate, in April 2021. Property owners were provided 60 days to appeal their assessment in 2021. Appeals may be filed if you believe there has been an error in:
- The assessed value;
- The classification of your property;
- The contents of the assessment roll; and
- The assessment notice.
SAMA provided a revaluation estimate to the town showing our overall taxable assessment will decrease from $602 million in 2020 to $559 million in 2021 – a 7.13% overall decrease.
For more information on assessment:
Revaluation 2021 - Understanding Assessment
Revaluation 2021 - Residential Property
Revaluation 2021 - Commercial Property
What if I don't agree with my property assessment?
As stated in The Municipalities Act, you have 30 days, or 60 days in a revaluation year, to appeal the assessment from when the assessment roll is opened.
Any person with an interest in the assessed value or classification of a property can appeal the property assessment.
You can appeal if you believe there has been an error in:
· the assessed value;
· the classification;
· the contents of the assessment roll; and
· the assessment notice.
You may wish to meet with the assessment appraiser to discuss the appeal prior to completing the notice of appeal form. The meeting may create understanding between the parties on facts or issues surrounding your appeal.
It is your responsibility to make a case to the board of revision when you prepare a notice of appeal form. It may be as simple as proving that dimensions in the current assessment are wrong or that a property classification is not correct. The case may be as complex as proving that the value of a property is not fairly assessed compared to another property that is similar. SAMA will also attend the hearing to provide information on the assessment.
Board of Revision fee: $50.00
Assessment Appeal for 2022 is now closed, you may appeal your assessment when the roll reopens in 2023.
How does my property assessment impact my taxes?
SAMA’s role in determining assessed value for properties is just the first part of a process established by provincial legislation. The second part is application of provincial government established tax policy, such as property classes and percentage of value, and statutory exemptions. The third and final part of the process involves municipalities annually determining the local mill rate and base tax based on local budget needs. The province sets the mill rate for the education sector. Municipalities then multiply the taxable assessment by the local mill rate and add the base tax to produce property tax levies, also known as your property tax bill.
How Municipal Property Taxes are Determined:
What is property assessment?
Property Assessment is an estimate of the typical market value of your property developed for the purposes of determining your portion of the municipality's property tax. The values for those parcels deemed taxable generate property taxes. Further information may be obtained from:
SAMA - Saskatchewan Assessment Management Association
The assessed value reflects the value of your property as of January 1, 2019, to ensure assessed values are as accurate as possible. By sending property assessment notices in advance of the property tax notices, owners have the opportunity to review their assessments and raise any concerns they may have about their assessed value before taxes are calculated.
What is my property assessment based on?
Saskatchewan uses three generally accepted appraisal techniques to value property in a Market Valuation Assessment (MVA) system: the cost approach, the sales comparison approach and the property income (rental) approach.
The cost approach estimates the replacement cost of a building, less depreciation, adding land values primarily based on sales. The approach is most useful when there are few comparable sales, or a lack of rental and expense information needed to administer the sales comparison or property income (rental) approach.
The sales comparison approach is appropriate for determining property assessments for areas and property types with active sales markets, such as residential property in medium to large cities.
The property income (rental) approach is based on the premise that the value of a property is directly related to the rental income it will generate. The appraiser analyses both the property’s expenses and ability to produce future income, and then estimates the property’s value.
SAMA - How Property Assessment Works in Saskatchewan - 2021 Edition
Who do I contact if I have questions about my property assessment?
After receiving an Assessment Notice, a property owner may discuss and review their property assessment with a SAMA Assessor or with The Town of White City. Assessors are available by phone 306-924-8000.
The Assessment roll is available to view online. In addition, individual assessments can be viewed by using the SAMA View Assessment website.
SAMA View
How do I know if my assessment value is accurate?
Your property characteristics are measured against other properties that have sold, cost to build, and any property income generated in order to calculate a valuation value. Characteristics such as location, age, size, and others are all considered. If, after having read your assessment notice carefully, and having compared your new assessment to its previous years' market value and to assessments of similar neighboring properties, you have questions or concerns about the information on your notice call 306-781-2355.
There is a 30-day period, or 60-day period during revaluation years, to allow property owners a chance to review any property characteristics or concerns. The assessment roll is available for review online.
Assessment Appeal for 2022 is now closed.