The Wood Buffalo council has approved a property tax cut, with councillors voting to set the property tax rate for 2016 at 2% lower than the 2015 property tax rate levels. Residents and businesses both could use a little relief right bow after everything that has happened, and though 2% may seem small it is a step in the right direction to get Fort McMurray and Wood Buffalo back on track for the future. Many lost their homes and most if not all of their possessions when the wildfire swept through Wood Buffalo, but some have homes and buildings that are damaged but that can be repaired. The costs may be high though, and a property tax bill that is smaller could be seen as a big plus for those who must come up with the money to pay these bills.

Some question whether a property tax cut is the right thing for the Wood Buffalo council to do at this time though. The municipality has a current cash flow problem, understandable after everything that happened, and a cut in property tax rates will not address that issue right now. Councillor Germain explained that the tax cut would not impact the core budget for 2016 and this was enough to sway enough councillors for the tax cut to pass. All five of the property tax classes which cover the municipality will see a small break on their 2016 property tax rates. Hopefully this small break will help residents and businesses in Wood Buffalo recover a little sooner while not taking too much of the revenue that the municipality needs to get things back to the way they used to be.