ABOUT CRASC
CAPITAL REGION ASSESSMENT SERVICES COMMISSION
Capital Region Assessment Services Commission (CRASC) is a regional assessment authority in the province of Alberta, Canada. It is responsible for assessing the value of properties for tax purposes in the municipalities that make up the Edmonton Metropolitan Region.
CRASC operates under the authority of the Municipal Government Act of Alberta and is governed by a board of directors appointed by the member municipalities. Its main function is to determine the market value of all properties within its jurisdiction and to create a property assessment roll that is used by the member municipalities to calculate property taxes.
ALBERTA MUNICIPALITIES SERVED
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
ASSESSMENTS COMPLETED
CRASC HISTORY
The inaugural meeting of the Capital Region Assessment Services Commission was held on Monday October 20, 1994 in the City of Fort Saskatchewan.
The Commission was not a legal entity at this time. The Province was contemplating a revision to the Regional Municipal Services Act in the spring of 1995. The projected legislative amendments included provision for the establishment of regional assessment commissions. In the interim, the City of Fort Saskatchewan agreed to act on behalf of the Commission with respect to legal contract matters. The City as a legal entity used its status to sign the Commission’s legal contract.
Prior to the formation of the Commission, member municipalities relied upon the Assessment Services Branch of Alberta Municipal Affairs. In the mid-1990s, the Province eliminated a variety of core services it provided, including assessment services. In response, a number of municipalities in the Capital Region recognized that by working cooperatively, service would continue and costs would be kept to a minimum.
It was on April 24, 1996 that Order in Council No. 174/96 was passed giving legal status to the Capital Region Assessment Services Commission. The Commission had 34 municipal members made up of 19 Summer Villages, 5 Villages, 8 Towns, 1 City and 1 County.
The contractual commitments and responsibilities were transferred from Fort Saskatchewan to the Commission shortly after the Order in Council was passed. In tandem with it, the Minister of the day – Hon. Tom Thurber, passed Ministerial Order No. 130/96 establishing the first Board of Directors of the Commission. They were: Frank Atkinson, Summer Village of Larkspur; Neil Colvin, City of Fort Saskatchewan; Bob McDonald, Town of Devon; Peter Thomsen, Village of Sangudo; Dave Tupper, County of Barrhead.
The Commission had a very rocky start brought on by a shortage of funds and a rapid turnover of assessors. The Province provided all municipalities with a grant to assist them with the transition from Government assessors to some form of private assessment service. The majority of members turned those funds over to the Commission to help it get started. The Commission returned those funds to the members by way of subsidizing costs for digital photography, apex drawings etc. These loans were paid off in 2006. Fort Saskatchewan also made a loan to the Commission, which was paid off prior to 1999.
This Commission was somehow placed in the same barrel – in the minds of some – with the Alberta Municipal Safety Codes Service Commission, which was having a more difficult time than was the Assessment Commission and as a result, many members withdrew their membership. Since 1998, the Town of Tofield is the only member to leave the Commission.
The administration of the Commission was transferred from Fort Saskatchewan to the Town of Devon. The Manager of the Commission for the Town of Devon passed away and left the commission in a precarious position. The Commission had a competition in 1998 for new management and Activation Analysis Group Inc. was the successful applicant. CRASC’s contract with Activation Analysis was terminated in April 2013. Archie Grover and Richard Barham were asked to continue providing their services, firstly as interim administrators and then, from June 2013, as full contract administrators of the Commission.
After a lengthy and successful administration, Archie Grover and Richard Barham retired in 2021. Effective 2022, the Commission engaged Amorin Professional Services to handle the financial and administrative affairs of CRASC
MEET THE CRASC TEAM
DIRECTORS
Following the municipal elections, the Councils of each of the member municipalities appoint a representative and an alternate to the Commission. The member representative attends and participates in the Annual General Meeting which is held in the fall of each year. At the Annual General Meeting the activities of the Commission are reported and financial statements reviewed.
The first Annual General Meeting held immediately after the municipal elections also includes the election of the Board of Directors of the Commission.
In 2021, four elected officials were selected by their peers to serve for four years as Directors of the Commission, they were:
LISA MAKIN, CHAIR
Councillor
City of Fort Saskatchewan
TANYA MAY, VICE-CHAIR
Councillor
Town of Bon Accord
RICK MACPHEE, DIRECTOR
Mayor
Summer Village of Seba Beach
KASEY QUINN, DIRECTOR
Councillor
Village of Spring Lake
ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT
Effective January 2022, Amorin Professional Corp. was contracted to provide administrative support to the CRASC Board.
GERRYL AMORIN, CPA
Financial Officer, Manager
ASSESSORS
The Commission selects qualified independent assessment contractors and companies to provide high quality, professional assessment services for each of our members. The assessors, accredited by the Alberta Assessors’ Association, comply with the Association’s Code of Ethics and Professional Education Program. Comprehensive contracts with the assessors ensure that members receive their services by legislated deadlines.
KEVIN LAWRENCE, AMAA
KCL Consulting Inc.
MIKE KRIM, AMAA
Tanmar Consulting Inc.
LARRY HORNE, AMAA
Independent Municipal Assessment Corporation
MEET THE CRASC TEAM
ASSESSORS
The Commission selects qualified independent assessment contractors and companies to provide high quality, professional assessment services for each of our members. The assessors, accredited by the Alberta Assessors’ Association, comply with the Association’s Code of Ethics and Professional Education Program. Comprehensive contracts with the assessors ensure that members receive their services by legislated deadlines.
KEVIN LAWRENCE, AMAA
KCL Consulting Inc.
MIKE KRIM, AMAA
Tanmar Consulting Inc.
LARRY HORNE, AMAA
Independent Municipal Assessment Corporation
MEET THE CRASC TEAM
DIRECTORS
Following the municipal elections, the Councils of each of the member municipalities appoint a representative and an alternate to the Commission. The member representative attends and participates in the Annual General Meeting which is held in the fall of each year. At the Annual General Meeting the activities of the Commission are reported and financial statements reviewed.
The first Annual General Meeting held immediately after the municipal elections also includes the election of the Board of Directors of the Commission.
In 2021, four elected officials were selected by their peers to serve for four years as Directors of the Commission, they were:
LISA MAKIN, CHAIR
Councillor, City of Fort Saskatchewan
TANYA MAY, VICE-CHAIR
Councillor, Town of Bon Accord
RICK MACPHEE, DIRECTOR
Mayor, Summer Village of Seba Beach
KASEY QUINN, DIRECTOR
Councillor, Village of Spring Lake
ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT
Effective January 2022, Amorin Professional Corp. was contracted to provide administrative support to the CRASC Board.
GERRYL AMORIN, CPA
Financial Officer, Manager
Lorem Ipsum
–
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi.
