A property owner whose home was destroyed in a fire won’t be getting relief on property taxes.
The owner asked Foothills County to reduce property taxes after a house, garage and pool building were destroyed in a major fire west of Millarville on Jan. 29.
Only a barn remains standing, and the owner asked the County to base property taxes on an assessment of the lot with no residential buildings.
The request was denied by Foothills County council during its meeting on March 26.
The homeowners, retired and in their 70s, have a fixed income and lost all of their belongings in addition to their home and other buildings.
In a letter to council, the owner said the land is a mix of trees and pasture.
“Obviously, there would be a significant reduction in the property taxes due, as the land use and available buildings have significantly changed from the previous tax assessment,” the owner wrote.
Foothills County CAO Ryan Payne told council that this year’s property taxes are based on the condition of the property on Dec. 31.
Payne said he didn’t know all of the details about the owner’s insurance coverage and his understanding is that the owners are not planning to rebuild on the same property.
"They're looking to rebuild somewhere else, so I suspect that that's part of the issue with the tax owing and insurance coverage," he said.
Coun. Suzanne Oel represents areas in west Foothills County and said hearts go out to the homeowners.
Oel said property taxes are based on last year's assessment, and there would be a reduction going forward, reflected in the next assessment.
“This money owing is based on last year’s amount,” Oel said, "and then they would go forward with a reduction."
Payne added that similar requests were denied in the past.
The owners indicated that their insurance would cover the replacement cost of buildings and belongings.
