Bob Stewart’s recap Kenora PLT meeting.
Aug
19, 2008 09:00 – 11:00
Over 200 attended, a packed house, although the meeting thinned out midway, it
lasted until noon and anyone with a question was dealt with.
Format followed the standard: A brief verbal and Power Point presentation
followed by Q & A.
I was allowed to make my submission and oral presentation - they will be
forwarded to the minister along with comments and questions from
others.
While several concerns were raised regarding the rationale behind school board
boundaries, and impact of new rates in our area as
property values far exceed provincial
average used in presentation - in Lake of the Woods area average assessed CVA
is $150,000-$200,000,
rather than $54,000 - the key
concern/complaint was over the two- tier, 6:1 ratio for the residential rate.
Ministry staffer Helen Harper stressed several times she would be taking that
message back to the powers that be in Toronto, and that it was common theme
after just two days of meetings.
The other main point she stressed was that the decision for a two- tier rate,
to apply them using the school boundaries, and to target $10.5 million as the
revenue to be raised were all political decisions made by Dwight Duncan. As was
the decision to have no phase- in of the new rate.
She acknowledged that ran counter to input received at the 2004 consultations,
as did the $6 minimum, but reiterated that it was the minister's decision.
Bottom line, any changes in the plan will be made by the minister, and Harper
encouraged people to submit concerns and submissions to the him through the
Ministry of Finance.
The actual PLT rate won't be set until January/February, maybe not until March,
as the finalized assessment information from the province-wide reassessment for
school areas and the PLT reassessment from 1940 values won't be given to the
ministry until December, as individual property owners are always informed
first of property assessment changes so they have a chance to apply for
reconsiderations and assessment totals can be somewhat finalized before master
lists go out to taxing authorities - municipalities, school boards, roads
boards, area service boards, and now the ministry of finance for the new PLT.
Given the anticipated high increase in cottage country, I suspect the .0023 and
.0004 rates won't be used, but lower ones - however the 6:1 ration will remain.
Also, new PLT tax bills - which will include education billings plus any roads
boards and service boards that sign on, won't be going out until about June
next year, rather than March of so, as 2009 is a transition year and it will
all be new to the ministry staff and others involved.
As well, the ministry is actively looking for an agent - a municipality is
preferred - to handle the actually billing on a fee for service basis as the
ministry doesn't want to do it themselves.
Anyone involved in a group with the resources to handle the job should contact
the ministry. I don't know what they'll be paying and I don't know what the '
going rate' for such work is, but at $10 per account it would be $690,000 at
$20, $1.3 million; and at $30; $2.1 million. Pretty good money for a town or
city or district board looking to bolster its revenues and employ a few people
My sense is, unless Dwight Duncan can be pressured to change his mind, we're
going to be stuck with the two-tier rate and the school board boundaries
determining who pays which until 2012, and likely beyond that unless their is
change of government or minister.
As for any hope of additional funding for existing or new services like roads
boards, fire departments etc - that's not going to happen.
If $10.5 million didn't provide enough cash before (the actual costs covered by
the ministry for the unincorporated share of the various services in 2006 were
in the range of $43 million which reflects a 75 per cent government subsidy,
noted Harper), then $10.5 million isn't going to provide any extra cash in the
future.
Bob Stewart