Flood Advisory for Calgary and Area

[Ice_Weasel]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

I have a pretty hard time thinking we should be intentionally subsidizing multi-millionaire's taxes, no matter how nice they are/little old ladies, etc. Maybe we could spend our tax dollars helping actual poor people?

It would probably be more accurate to say that the high inner city taxes are 'subsidizing' the urban sprawl that Calgary is famous for.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Ice_Weasel

It would probably be more accurate to say that the high inner city taxes are 'subsidizing' the urban sprawl that Calgary is famous for.

I would be perfectly happy for Calgary to start charging taxes based on lot size. That way properties that contribute more to sprawl pay more taxes, and people living in condos/townhouses/higher density housing forms pay less.

A quarter acre lot in Mt Royal contributes to sprawl. They lobbied the city and got special direct control zoning to keep their neighbourhood full of big lots. If they hadn't done that, you'd see densification going on, which is the best (really the only) way to fight sprawl in a city with a growing population.

But as long as we have the current system where taxes are based on property values, then assessments should reflect what houses are actually worth.

[North East Goon]

Originally Posted by YYC in LAX

My heart goes out to the multi-millionaires living along the river in Elbow Park. Poor people.

I work with one of these people, and she is a biotch!

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by fotze

I should apologize for taking this thread so off topic, but meh.

http://www.realtor.ca/propertyDetail...ey=-1493249267

I'm thinking this house for sale for $4.5MM and assesed at only $3.25MM is not owned by a sweet old couple who moved in in 1955.

How many years have their tax bill been low by $8000? Are all the houses that under assessed?

I think lot size would be just as obscure. I think it should be the owners last name. The closer the last names first letter is to Z the more they pay, it goes down as the name approaches A.

That's pretty bogus, actually. I wonder if someone else can appeal their assessment on a "friend of the court/city" basis. I'd love to see someone show up at an assessment tribunal and try to tell the panel their house is only worth 3.25, but they're trying to sell it for 4.5. Or if it sells, the new owners trying to say it's only worth 3.25, but I paid 4.25 for it because..."I'm a moron?"

Lot size would be better if you were trying to fight sprawl, which was ice-weasels contention. The city will never do that for income fairness reasons, (Should a 50 foot lot in Forest Lawn pay more than a 3 MM$ condo in Eau Claire, probably not), but it would fight sprawl by increasing demand for smaller lot sizes.

I'd also be ok with lower alphabet last names paying less...

[Ice_Weasel]

I would suspect lot size is already factored in...generally speaking, the larger the lot the more it is worth. Yes there are some big lots in Mount Royal, but there are several inner city communities where zoning does allow subdviding. When a professional couple decides to buy a $750k attached infil in South Calgary, I would suggest they are partially subsidizing the couple that wants to live in Aspen and have new roads / c-train service built.

[Bigtime]

Hey weren't we talking about potential flooding?

Happy to report my basement is still nice and dry here in Sunnyside.

[flamesfever]

Originally Posted by fotze

Thats all lovely, but rules are rules. Taxes are based on home value (or some bizarre interpretation of home value) not on back story.

Also, the homes that are being sold for $3.8MM but are assessed at $2.5MM are probably not the homesteaders from yesteryear, unless they had 6,500 sq ft mansions with granite evertything, theatre rooms and Wolfe appliances back in the day.

OK I get it. rules are rules, as you say. I just wanted to show that there are two sides to the matter. As far as inheritances are concerned, don't forget you will be old some day, and you may want to leave something for a child who suffers financially for whatever reason, health or otherwise. And a million dollars seems like a lot, but it can also go pretty quickly, particularly if there are serious health or disability issues involved.

[Regular_John]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

Hey weren't we talking about potential flooding?

Happy to report my basement is still nice and dry here in Sunnyside.

Huh? Flooding? Basements? I thought we were taking potshots at other neighbourhoods in this thread.

I can only assume you meant to say "Happy to report my basement is still nice and fully stocked with granola and lattes here in Sunnyside"

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by flamesfever

OK I get it. rules are rules, as you say. I just wanted to show that there are two sides to the matter. As far as inheritances are concerned, don't forget you will be old some day, and you may want to leave something for a child who suffers financially for whatever reason, health or otherwise. And a million dollars seems like a lot, but it can also go pretty quickly, particularly if there are serious health or disability issues involved.

On the other hand, the extra few hundred dollars a month that people who are currently poor or disabled are playing in property taxes so that elbow park resident and their neighbours can pay 8000 less is real money to them now. Some of them have health and disabilities too, and they don't all have parents leaving them a million bucks.

If we're going to subsidize, let's pick actual poor people, not hypothetical disabled children of low income seniors in multi-million dollar houses.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

Hey weren't we talking about potential flooding?

Happy to report my basement is still nice and dry here in Sunnyside.

Nope, we've been discussing rich people in Elbow Park since post #2. (YYC in LAX in with the early derail)

[Jbo]

I live off 25th in Mission right along the river and while the river is very high, there is still about a foot before it becomes a real concern. Will be watching the weather today for sure.

[bizaro86]

Is there any way to see what the levels are at the reservoirs behind the various dams on the bow river? Do they have any more capacity to divert more water? What about the irrigation district?

[flamesfever]

Originally Posted by Locke

Uh....it wasnt the taxes that forced those people out of their homes, it was astronomical interest rates.

No I believe it was the worldwide depression...collapsed stock market, wealth destruction because of deflation, and no way to earn money and pay taxes.

I had a little water in my basement, because I forgot to clean the leaves out of my evestrough last fall, and the downspout got plugged.

[You Need a Thneed]

The pathway on the north bank of the Bow river is built on top of a 100 year flood dike. Sunnyside should be ok.

[trew]

I think it's the storm sewers that are the biggest issue now. When the Bow floods there's not enough drainage to clear out the storm water from rainfall in the surrounding area. Things start to pool on the east side of Sunnyside where there is a bit of a natural basin.

[Locke]

Haha! Second floor apartment FTW!

[Jimmy Stang]

I believe that it was in 2005 that we last had a major flood threat on the rivers in the city. If I recall correctly, the water spilled over the top of the Glenmore Reservoir dam for the first time ever, essentially leaving property along the Elbow river at the mercy of mother nature.

This year they have intentionally lowered the level of the reservoir to accommodate the expected water levels (not sure if this happened in 2005). I can imagine that it won't take long for it to fill up again. Given that the city has control over the water level of the Elbow (until the reservoir spills over the dam), can we expect that they'll keep the water levels at the highest possible level without causing property damage until a point comes that they can no longer control it, or will they further raise the levels and "sacrifice" some of the properties along the river to prevent a potentially worse situation later?

I'm not familiar with the procedure, but I ask the question out of pure curiosity. If there a guy in the control room that flips the switch that says "well, sorry folks, get your rubber boots on."? Or is control not that precise?

[rohara66]

Originally Posted by You Need a Thneed

The pathway on the north bank of the Bow river is built on top of a 100 year flood dike. Sunnyside should be ok.

1:100 year flood means statistically it's expected to flood past that level once in a hundred years.... but it could actually flood whenever.

I'm curious when was the last time it flooded to that level? Anyone know?

[Nufy]

I'm in Deer Ridge on the Hill...

If my basement floods due to rain / flooding I'm building an Ark !!!!

[GreenLantern]

This flooding is a non-issue until it reaches the oil sands.

-Harper and Co.