The Community
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Volume 116 Issue 46
www.thecommunitypress.com
Flagstaff Victim Services hosts community BBQs Page 15
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 s
Community rallies behind Amisk store owners after another devastating break-in Leslie Cholowsky Editor
Amisk and the surrounding community are coming together to assist the owners of the C-Store, a convenience store located in Amisk, after the owners experienced a recent break-in. On May 7, around 2:30 a.m. thieves broke a window and gained entrance to the store, stealing items and ransacking the store in the process. Not even four years ago, wouldbe robbers did substantial damage to the building, November 2020, in the range of $20-$30,000, then making off with about $200 worth of goods inside.
Shortly after, a community effort was made to support the owners, Kim and Bill Rock, with an online silent auction planned. The community movement called the local break-in “devastating, with tens of thousands of dollars of theft and damage.” It’s also the fourth time the business has been victimized in the past 11 years. “As a community, it is important to band together and offer moral and financial support to Kim and Bill,” organizers say. “Between the C-Store and Rockpile Plumbing, Bill and Kim support the community in numerous ways. It is time to return the favour.”
The Auction started Tuesday, May 21, and will run until Tuesday, May 28, at 8 p.m. The auction is hosted on Facebook, called “Benefit Auction for the Rock Family.” So far community donations include everything from home-grown vegetables, home-made quilts, home-baked goods, and even a load of gravel, with donations coming from people both inside and outside the region. It’s not too late to donate an item for the auction, people wishing to do so can contact Cherise Bartley (780-209-2770) or Danielle Stankievech, (780-806-6774). Cash donations are also being accepted through the Amisk Public Library.
Flagstaff Council elects to drop residential tax rate for ‘24 Leslie Cholowsky Editor
Flagstaff County Council passed its 2024 Tax Bylaw during the May 8 regular Council meeting, with a decrease in residential tax rates from 2023. Total assessment levels increased over 2022, from $1.539 billion to $1.560 billion, Council also approved a rate decrease for Rural Residential and Urban Residential for 2024, down about five per cent overall from proposed rates in December,
with no change to farmland, keeping to the 2023 rates. Total taxes raised from the proposed taxation rates amounts to $22,573,100, with the remainder going to requisitions. Requisitions from Alberta School Foundation and Flagstaff Regional Housing are added to property taxes. This year the Flagstaff Regional Housing (Seniors housing) has an increase of 38.36 per cent, while the Education requisition have dropped slightly (by 2.92 per cent or less) across the board.
In total, Flagstaff County collects over $3.5 million for the Alberta School Foundation and Separate School, and $267,925 for the Flagstaff Foundation for Senior Housing. For the 2024 tax year, the 2023 assessment is used. The actual tax amount payable is determined by multiplying the assessment by the mill rate. An estimated total assessment of 1.582 million was used to form the 2024 budget, but the 2023 actual was 1.560 billion, still up from the 2022 totals.
In the early hours of May 7, thieves broke a window to gain entry into the Amisk C-Store, ransacking the store and making off with tens of thousands of stock, prompting the Amisk and surrounding community to start a fundraiser for the owners.
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