Assessor says Alix residential property values increased $8 million in one year

The old saying, “Be careful what you wish for...you might get it,” may apply in the Village of Alix and possibly across Alberta for property owners wanting more value for their real estate. The Village of Alix council heard their residential assessment has increased by $8 million in one year.

The village’s appointed assessor, Wild Rose Assessment, represented by Riley Kloss, made a presentation to village council at its regular meeting March 4; he gave a general overview of how Wild Rose Assessment does its job and some in-depth information about the Alix market, which Kloss has been familiar with since 2014.

Kloss explained what assessors do for municipalities. “Basically, we’re just here to put a value on every property,” said Kloss, adding that this involves rules from the Municipal Government Act (MGA), market-driven evaluations and what he referred to as “mass appraisal.”

It was noted in the Wild Rose report that the purpose of an assessment is to fairly and equitably distribute the tax burden. Kloss further explained “mass appraisal,” which essentially means looking at properties that have sold and at what amount. Kloss observed several times in his presentation that in Alberta assessed value is often exceeded by the final selling price.

Kloss explained how assessment revolves around everything that’s attached to a property, how different zoning types such as residential and non-residential can be assessed differently and the difference between non-assessable (roads) and tax-exempt (churches).

During discussion it was noted that some improvements can affect a property’s assessment, but some don’t, and not all property owners are aware of how this affects them. Councillors asked the assessor about the impression that a property’s value is affected by the section of town it’s located in. Kloss responded that the impression isn’t entirely accurate. He said it’s more accurate to say that if a property owner’s part of town has more desirable features, such as a lake, that fact will probably be reflected in the assessment.

Several times in his presentation Kloss alluded to a large increase in property values in Alix. “We’re seeing big increases in Alix this year,” said the assessor. His charts noted Alix’s 2024 total residential assessment was $70,077,350 compared to 2025 at $78,721,630, an increase year over year of about $8.6 million: a 12 per cent overall increase.

Kloss’s documents noted the assessors have observed Alix’s higher assessment to the tune of an $8 million increase in residential growth and added that most municipalities that are not directly in Calgary or Edmonton’s orbit are witnessing similar growth. Kloss pointed out assessment trends tend to begin in the large metro areas and subsequently spread across Alberta.

During discussion the assessor and councillors discussed ever-increasing property values in Calgary and Edmonton, with property buyers seeking price relief in rural Alberta.

As assessments are used along with zoning and mill rates to calculate tax bills, Kloss stated both the Alix village office and the assessors will likely get more calls from the public; he added a process exists for property owners to appeal an assessment.

Kloss then observed that assessments closer to Calgary appear to be levelling off but may take time to spread to other areas of Alberta; hence, Kloss cautioned Alix property owners may see an increase in their assessment in 2027 as well.

Readers should note that some municipalities lower their mill rates in response to assessment hikes in order to keep property tax bills at a stable level.