Should you be planning a move to Red Deer, already live there, or are simply stopping by for a visit, it’s always nice to know what resources the city provides. Whether it be entertainment, essential service, or something in between we all like to know what we’re getting ourselves into. In smaller cities like Red Deer, city services tend to be a touch more varied and personal than in larger cities. What also takes place is that many people are unaware of what many of these services are and how to best utilize them.

Property Management in Red Deer

We think it’s important to know what city services provided whether you’re a resident or a visitor, and thought we would run through some of the top resources in Red Deer to keep people in the loop. Having all of these services at your disposal is important to contributing to your community in the best ways possible as well as utilizing these services to improve your own life. With that in mind, here are what we have determined to be the top 5 resources to utilize in Red Deer and how to take advantage of them.

MyCity Tool

The MyCity tool is a fantastic one for residents or those new to the city to utilize. What this tool does is provide residents and business owners of Red Deer access to their city of Red Deer Accounts, which contain information about things like business licenses, dog licenses, and tax information, monitor status of permits and applications, and schedule inspections online 24/7. While this may not seem like a ground-breaking piece of software, as many of you know, cities tend to be slow to react to things like this and the task of receiving requested information can often be painstaking.

What the city has done here is try to streamline and make all of this information more easily accessible as well as faster and more efficient. A quick perusal through the program will show you that this has all been done and won’t force you to be on the phone for hours on end between regular business hours.

Red Deer Recycling Services

For those who are wondering about the garbage and recycling services, these are city run. A garbage collection schedule can be found at the city’s website. There are also a few handy resources for those wondering:

• Garbage must be placed outside before 7am on collection day to ensure pickup;
• Bags or bins must be 100 litres in volume or less and weight less than 55 pounds
• It must be properly contained and only a maximum of three bins or bags will be picked up

The city of Red Deer runs a blue bin recycling program, which is also subject to a pick-up schedule that can be found on the city’s website. The blue bins can only take specific items, including newspapers, magazines, mixed papers, telephone books, corrugated cardboard, boxboard, number 1-7 plastic containers, metal cans, and glass bottles and jars. The site also contains the information on what cannot go into the blue bins. The pertinent information regarding the blue bins can be found here: http://reddeer.ca/city-services/garbage-and-recycling/recycling-blue-box/what-can-go-in-a-blue-box/

Property Taxes

It’s obviously quite important to have a good idea of what you may be paying in property taxes when they’re due. Property assessment notices are sent out on January 20, which is two months before property taxes are due. This is done so property owners can review their assessments and address any potential concerns with Revenue & Assessment Services. Since property tax bills themselves cannot be disputed, it’s important to make sure everything is accurate.

Should you have concerns about your property assessment, the best plan of attack is to contact Revenue & Assessment Services at (403) 342-8126 or email at assessment@reddeer.ca.

Transit Resources

A bustling city requires public transportation, and Red Deer is no exception to this. For those visiting, moving soon, or already situated and looking for a great way to get around, Red Deer has an efficient bus service. Red Deer offers a monthly bus pass for about $70, depending on age, and provides single rides for $2.25. Transit cards can be purchased at city hall and reloaded at almost any convenience store or city property.

All of this information, as well as city bus routes, can be found here: http://reddeer.ca/city-services/transit/about-red-deer-transit/

Red Deer Utility Billing

As a resident, it’s important to know what services you’re paying for and where that money goes. In Red Deer, the city bills for water, wastewater, garbage, and recycling utility services (these utility services depend on the type of property and occupancy).

When it comes to paying your bills, the city has set up six different options for residents. They are as follows:

1. PAWS program, which is for pre-authorized withdrawals. This is probably the easiest way to go about taking care of any bills.
2. Paying online or via the phone through your bank. This will also require you to set the city as a payee with your bank.
3. You can pay in person at your bank.
4. Pay by mail, which requires you to send a cheque into the city offices.
5. Use one of the two city drop boxes which are available for use 24 hours a day.
6. Lastly, you can pay in person at city hall between 830am and 4pm. City hall accepts almost all forms of payment.

If you are looking to learn more about what works best for you, we here at Magnum York offer professional property management services throughout Alberta, with offices in Calgary, Edmonton, Olds, and Red Deer. A call or visit to any of our offices will go a long way in alleviating any immediate and long-term concerns you may have. The value a professional property manager can add is immeasurable and something we take pride in doing. Don’t hesitate to let us know if your property needs the care and assistance it deserves; we’re always standing by waiting to offer you our services and professional touch.