High River residents devastated by flood to get tax break

Many home and business owners in High River are getting a tax break.

• Arbitration granted to High River flood victims
• High River's Wallaceville to be bulldozed for flood mitigation

The program applies to those who were forced out for 90 days or more by the flood.

The tax break is being covered by the province, which had earlier allocated $84 million over three years from its disaster recovery program.

It's estimated as many as a thousand people in High River will qualify.

Mayor Craig Snodgrass says they will get credit for 194 days from the time ofthe flood to the end of the year.

He says it's not a lot of money, but every bit helps.

"To pay taxes on a house you can't be in doesn't make a lot of sense," he said.

• Listen to the podcast of Alberta@Noon below as the mayor explains the program.

But some believe the program doesn't go far enough.

"Everybody in this town should get a tax break because everybody's been affected,"saidRon Schmidt, whose home and business were destroyed forcing him tolocated hisbarbershopin agarage.

"I mean even if youweren't out for 90days you're still affected in some manner."

Schmidt also dreads filling out more paperwork.

ButSandi Rowley,who still operatesher store Pixie Hollow at a temporary facility, says the 90-day rule is fair.

"I mean for us to be paying taxes on that building for six months has been crazy, or going forward, so now we know that I'm really pleased about that," she said.

The program runs for the next twoyears and the province will decide on property tax compensation for those who are still displaced.