The Chilliwack
Progress Wednesday
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Voters find few motives to cast ballot Katie Bartel The Progress The response to an online poll regarding Chilliwack’s abysmal voter turnout rates proved to be just as lackluster as the turnout itself. In December, Chilliwack resident and frequent social media user, Jamie Billingham asked on Twitter why those in her community didn’t vote in d November’s N trusts My hope school ee byelection. A oneis that this week period is just the brought in total of 35 beginning, aresponses. and the F o r Billingham, vision of that participation was in a more fact signifiengaged cant. procommunity cess“This is more gains traction like an online focus group than a sur~ Jamie vey,” said Billingham Billingham. “I asked why, not how w many, with m the goal of qualitative data over quantitative.” The top reasons cited for not voting included not having enough information about the candidates or issues; a lack of credibility and confidence in the process; and no interest. The candidates weren’t appealing; the election date and polling location stations weren’t well advertised; and the byelection was seen as a waste of time were other reasons mentioned. The responses, said Billingham, were similar to responses she received when she did a similar poll following the low turnout for the municipal election in 2011.
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Stability reigns in 2014 property assessments Jennifer Feinberg The Progress “Stable” is once again the main descriptor for Fraser Valley property values in the 2014 BC Assessment roll. The bulk of property owners in Chilliwack will see modest changes to their assessments, between plus or minus five per cent. “Most homes in the Fraser Valley are remaining stable in value compared to last year’s assessment roll,” said Raj Sandhu, deputy assessor. “Almost every jurisdiction is at a similar level, with a very stable market.” The assessment roll went from $80 billion to $90.7 billion in the Fraser Valley for 2014. A typical single family home in
Chilliwack was valued at $400,000 this year, up slightly from $394,000 in 2013. A sample home in Sardis is used by BC Assessment to establish a benchmark value for the roll, and it’s a reflection of the movement in the marketplace. Strata apartments in Chilliwack dipped to $183,000 from $188,000, while a typical townhouse stayed at the same level, with a sample property pegged at $275,000. Growth once again this year was mainly a result of subdivisions, rezonings and new construction. Anyone curious if the photographs taken by BC Assessment of Chilliwack homes in 2013 were used in the calculations for the 2014 roll, the answer is, no they were not. The images will be part of re-inventory initiatives by BC
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Assessment. These updates have been ongoing in other Fraser Valley communities, like Langley, Abbotsford and Mission, and eventually will help assessors determine if renovations have taken place in order to have inventories updated. “Property owners who feel that their property assessment does not reflect market value as of July 1, 2013 or see incorrect information on their notice should contact BC Assessment as indicated on their notice as soon as possible in January,” said Sandhu. “If a property owner is still concerned about their assessment after speaking to one of our appraisers, they may submit a Notice of Complaint (Appeal) by January 31, for an independent review by a Property Assessment Review
Panel,” added Sandhu. The Property Assessment Review Panels, independent of BC Assessment, are appointed annually by the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development, and meet between February 1 and March 15 to hear formal complaints. The Fraser Valley assessment office is at #240, 31935 South Fraser Way in Abbotsford. During the month of January, office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday to Friday. Property owners can contact BC Assessment toll-free at 1-866-valueBC (1-866-825-8322) or online by clicking “CONNECT” at www.bcassessment.ca including lists of 2014’s top 100 most valuable residential properties across the province.
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Property values in Chilliwack are “stable” according to BC Assessment. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS