The room was packed, but in the end, it was no mob scene at Tuesday’s regular meeting of municipal council.

A standing-room-only crowd of business owners were on hand to provide steely-eyed support for Scott Eady, the outgoing president of Jasper Tourism and Commerce and John Bartziokas, who were there to present their concerns about commercial property taxes to councillors and municipal administrators.

From the very beginning, Eady and Bartziokas took great pains to avoid the appearance that the chamber stalwarts represented an angry mob.

“I want to be clear in terms of tone, that this is not meant to be accusatory, but we just see this as a chance to open a dialogue,” said Bartziokas.

Polite civility may have been the watchword, but Eady and Bartziokas weren’t mincing words when it came to discussing what they saw as a potential outcome of maintaining the status quo.

“We’re done, we’re hurting and we’re being squeezed from both sides out there,” said Bartziokas. 

At the heart of the pair’s argument was concern about the substantial rate split between commercial and residential taxes in Jasper. Commercial property holders pay 6.5 times more than a residential owner for every assessed dollar. This differential is the largest in Alberta, and in fact only Banff’s 5:1 ratio comes close to Jasper’s split.

Business owners acknowledge and accept much of the rationale behind why the rates are split, Eady said, but on behalf of Tourism and Commerce, asked council to consider its spending priorities so that a tax freeze or reduction could be put into effect until the tourism market begins to recover.

“We’re asking you to delay non-essential capital expenses until the market recovers,” he said.

While no specific projects or proposals were targeted during the meeting, a document circulated amongst Chamber members prior to Tuesday suggested “items of town beautification and infrastructure (i.e. Parking lots, activity centre expansion, concrete planters)  be suspended.”

Municipal manager George Krefting presented a brief set of figures in response, outlining the percentage rate of tax increase in Jasper (an average of 3.3 per cent per year), and the town’s comparative position among selected Albertan communities. According to this information, the governance model approved by Jasper voters included a fiscal projection that would have placed commercial taxes nearly 15 per cent higher than their actual levels. After two years of a 7.5:1 split, the municipality did reduce the difference in 2004, Krefting added.

Mayor Richard Ireland took time to point out that council provided ample opportunity during budget deliberations for public comment, but said he was happy to see interest in discussing priorities and the tax situation. In response to the presenters’ claim that there was a responsibility to support the tourism industry, Ireland said that council had to consider the well-being of everyone in the community.

“I know that taxes may be bothersome, but they are required in order to provide services,” he said. 

“It’s not that we’re without a social conscience, but this issue is more than bothersome Dick,” Bartziokas responded immediately. “We’re hurting.”

Other members of council spoke about the various efforts municipalities are making to obtain alternatives to tax revenue. Mike Day echoed Ireland’s senitments about the need to maintain high levels of service for the community.

“What the residents were telling us through the budget process is that we need to maintain the services.”

In the end, Eady and Bartziokas agreed to strike a committee of interested Chamber members to begin discussions with the municipality’s finance committee.

“We will do this as soon as possible, so we can take advantage of the energy on this that there is right now,” said Eady.