How to participate in the Enhanced Landscape Maintenance Program

How to participate in the ELM program

The Enhanced Landscape Maintenance (ELM) program is a community-led, volunteer initiative. Any extra landscaping and maintenance on public lands (above and beyond standard City levels of service) is paid for by the community.

To participate in the program, you must be a non-profit organization representing your entire geographic neighbourhood, such as a Community Association, Residents Association or Homeowners Association.

Participation in the program requires entering into a legal agreement called a Landscape Maintenance Agreement (LMA).

When the LMA is in place, the participant becomes the steward for standard levels of service required. Each community will receive a standard municipal operating grant for their ELM program.

What is covered under the ELM program?

  • Mowing/trimming
  • Litter control
  • Curb sweeping/spring cleanup/fall cleanup
  • Shrub bed and tree well maintenance
  • Flower bed installation and maintenance
  • Watering/irrigation

What isn’t covered under ELM program?

  • Infrastructure enhancement or maintenance (e.g. community entrance signage, pathways, transit buildings/shelters, playgrounds)
  • Any private land enhancements – including tree planting (only public lands and assets may benefit from this funding)

The City of Calgary offers added services

We provide services beyond the standard service levels for the ELM program based on need and assessment. These services are provided at municipal standards, by our employees under our standing policies and procedures subject to under Federal, Provincial and Municipal agreements.

The services may include:

NOTE: additional snow removal/ice control of community pathways beyond standard service levels requires a separate maintenance agreement. Please contact 311.

How is the ELM program funded?

Calgary Parks will provide the community that has applied for the ELM program an operating grant equal to the Council approved budget for maintenance activities within the defined green spaces. These funds are the equivalent to the funds that the City would have used to perform the baseline services in the community prior to it becoming an ELM community.

Funding models

In addition to the operating grant, there are two community generated funding models to cover the full cost of the program:

  1. Private Funding (caveat on property title) - Funds are collected by way of a caveat on the property title of each parcel of land. These funds are then collected and managed by a local association.
  2. Special Tax Levy - If you are participating in the program through Special Tax Levy you can petition the entire neighbourhood for a special tax levy. This is an opt-in program for the entire neighbourhood and must be approved by Council. The City of Calgary collects and holds these funds on behalf of the community. Communities can petition for ELM or petition against it.

How to become an ELM community via special tax levy

If my petition is successful, what happens next?

  • Verified successful petitions go to Council for review and approval. All citizens in the proposed special tax levy community can come and speak to the petition - either for or against.
  • Property owners will receive a special tax notice on their annual Property Assessment letterfor the enhanced landscape maintenance activities.
  • Enhanced landscape maintenance activities, related to the petition and special tax levy will begin after the initial year of taxes funds have been collected.
  • Special tax levy funds are collected by The City then transferred to the community organization leading the initiative to use towards the enhanced landscape maintenance activities identified in the petition. 

How do I petition for a special tax levy to support enhanced landscape maintenance activities in my community?

As a community led initiative, an organization who can represent the community is required to lead this initiative (i.e. community association).  The process to initiate a special tax levy may take up to 24 months.

  1. Contact Community Parks Initiatives at CPI@calgary.ca to schedule a consultation and planning meeting.
  2. Submit request for a Special Tax Levy petition package by calling 311 or email CPI@calgary.ca
  3. Complete your petitioning activities.
  4. Return the completed petition, along with the statement of witness and affidavit signed in the presence of a Commissioner of Oaths, to The City of Calgary.
  5. The City of Calgary will count the votes and evaluate if the petition passed or failed.
  6. If the petition passes the special tax levy will start after Council approval and Notice of Intention is mailed out to each property owner.  The Notice of Intention will include the enhanced landscape maintenance activities and an estimated cost to each property owner.

Important information:

  • 66.7% (2/3) of property owners in the community must sign the petition and agree to the special tax levy. Signing is voluntary.
  • If a single owner holds multiple properties in the community, only one vote for/against the petition will be considered by that owner.
  • The City of Calgary will validate all signatures to ensure they are from property owners. A signature is invalid if it does not match the registered property owner’s name.
  • City of Calgary owned properties remain neutral in the petition process and do not appear on the petition form, nor do they have a vote.
  • Signatures are tallied towards a valid petition, based on counting backwards 120 days from the date The City receives the completed petition.

Want more information on local improvements to neighbourhoods?

Annual reassessment of special tax levy rate

Council annually reviews and approves the special tax levy bylaw, as authorized through the Municipal Government Act. This approval is required each year to continue the special tax levy for enhanced landscape maintenance activities.

Each fall, the community organization leading the special tax levy program will propose the special tax levy rate for the upcoming year.  The City will notify each property owner in a Special Tax Levy community about the proposed amount of tax levy to be collected through a Notice of Intention letter.

The proposed special tax rate is then submitted to Council for review and approval. If Council votes against the notice of motion to pass the tax levy bylaw, then the City of Calgary will begin the process to remove the special tax levy for the next calendar year.

Community wide “reaffirmation vote”

  • Every five years from the initiation of the special tax levy, the community organization leading the special tax levy and enhanced landscape maintenance activities is required to re-evaluate property owner support for the special tax levy holding a “reaffirmation vote” at a public meeting.
  • The public meeting and “reaffirmation vote” allow property owners the opportunity to vote to continue the special tax levy in their community.
  • A simple majority vote of the property owners in attendance at the meeting, or 50 per cent plus one, will be required to continue with the special tax levy.

The public meeting must:

  • Be adequately advertised within the community to inform as many property owners as possible of the impending vote.
  • Ensure the vote is for property owners registered on property titles in that community only. 
  • Proof of identification and home ownership will be requested prior to the vote, such as a driver’s license and current property tax assessment.
  • Should at the public meeting, a vote of 50 per cent (plus one) to continue with the special tax levy NOT be achieved, a new community wide petition, facilitated by The City, will be triggered. 
  • This triggered petition will be verified by The City of Calgary and voted on by Council. 

Until this petition process has been completed the special tax levy will remain in place and continue to support the enhanced landscape maintenance activities.

If my petition against the special tax levy is successful, what happens next?

  • A verified successful petition against the special tax levy will go to Council for review and approval to remove the community from the Special Tax Bylaw.
  • Property owners in the community will receive a notice that the special tax levy will be discontinued the next calendar year.
  • Enhanced landscape maintenance activities in the community will be discontinued within 18 months.

How do I petition against the special tax levy?

Any property owner in a community with a special tax levy may formally oppose special tax levy through a petition process. 

To launch a formal petition against the special tax levy, a property owner in the community must:

  1. Request a Special Tax Levy petition against package by calling 311 or CPI@calgary.ca .
  2. Organize and collect signatures from other property owners in the community.
  3. Submit the completed petition package to The City within120 days after it is mailed to the property owner to be considered valid.

Please note: The City of Calgary does not collect signatures or participate in the petition against process with property owners.  The City’s role in this petition process is to remain neutral and validate petitions once submitted.

Important Information:

  • 66.7% (2/3) of property owners in the community must sign the petition and agree to the special tax levy. Signing is voluntary.
  • If a single owner holds multiple properties in the community, only one vote for/against the petition will be considered by that owner.
  • The City of Calgary will validate all signatures to ensure they are from property owners. A signature is invalid if it does not match the registered property owner’s name.
  • City of Calgary owned properties remain neutral in the petition process and do not appear on the petition form, nor do they have a vote.
  • Signatures are tallied towards a valid petition, based on counting backwards 120 days from the date The City receives the completed petition.
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