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ARTICLE FROM CALGARY SUN
Race City waves caution flag over property assessment
UPDATED: 2008-03-11 18:08:29 MST
By SHAWN LOGAN, SUN MEDIA
Faced with more than a four-fold increase in property taxes, the general manager of Race City Motorsport Park says the city is putting the pedal to the metal to drive him out of business.
With the popular speedway already under the gun with the lease on its city-owned land set to expire in 2010, Rome Awde said his property tax bill spiked from $45,000 to almost $200,000 this year, which could speed the park to an earlier exit.
Awde said the track is already under pressure to find a large tract of land for a new home in a pricey marketplace, but after seeing its property assessment soar from $3 million to $18 million in one year, he believes the city is trying to push them out sooner.
“If the city doesn’t go back to the 2007 tax situation, it could quite possibly close down the facility,” he said.
“A 600% increase in assessed value from one year to the next, that essentially puts me out of business.”
The 64-hectare parcel, on 68 St. S.E. near the Shepard landfill, has been a haven for racing enthusiasts for 40 years but will have to find a new home by the end of 2010 as the city plans to use the land to expand its operations.
Ald. Ric McIver has been trying to get the city to offer up some more land but he was told in council Monday that there was none available to house a new facility.
But with Race City threatening to close its doors, Amy Enfield, a spokeswoman with the city’s assessment department, said while the numbers were accurate, it’s too early to rule out a mistake.
She said most people are required to make formal appeals prior to Feb. 4 but in this case the city will investigate to ensure the proper numbers were arrived at.
“Certainly I don’t believe the city is in the business of screwing people,” she said, noting the investigation could take a couple of days.
“The city stands behind the process — the customer would not be expected to pay if there were mistakes made along the way.”
This story was in the March 11, 2008 Calgary Sun.
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