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page 8 Fela 4 fo3 THE INDEPENDENT ‘-:S tâ€" € 5.005 SZIPY L Fit? & % . 2 8 5 .z * e â€" 8|| 9 § ssaig e\ 8 § ts 52 a §5a |¢ Cramahe councillors to weigh »||Pgiecss q |f 0 = a 1g6856 5 ? ’f\g 4 h Epl 2 £$542 a * F e P < & .2 & 4 1 â€"fu ® s c tax hike for township ratepayers |5| peppaayâ€"/| a eC _ T & Early views school portion dropped by . by dividing a municipality‘s on a common valuation nz 64 i C it per cent, â€" leaving annual budget by its tax _ date of June 30,1996. It now â€" ® w . | range fi"om Cramahe ratepayers with a _ base. In other words, if the _ does assessments annually. â€" n ~al ; s § net blended increase in â€" municipality had annual _ MPAC administers a uniâ€" ie c Th holdmg the line their taxes of 0.27 per cent. _ budget of $800,000 and tax _ form, provinceâ€"wide properâ€" &.. eE j to 3% i Coun. Marc Coombs said base of $36 million in _ ty assessment system based ‘ ; 0 0 IMHCFEqSE _ poth he and deputy mayor _ assessed property value, the on current value assessâ€" by JOHN BARKER Ray Kelly, who was ill and tax rate would be 2.22 per â€" ment. While critics said the The Independent missed the meeting, believe _ cent. old system led to under valâ€" £ While Cramahe Townâ€" it is possible for Cramahe Cramahe‘s _ combined _ uation or uneven valuation ship council won‘t hold its to pass a noâ€"tax increase operating and capital budgâ€" _ of similar properties someâ€" 3 first public draft budget â€" budget this year. et last year was $3.475 milâ€" times in close geographic meeting until next month, Council did unanimously _ lion, Ms. Chatterson said. proximity, the current value ratepayers _ are _ being adopt Mr. Coombs proposal The â€" municipal _ and system now in place has 3 warned by some members _ to establish a budget review _ blended tax rates, however, â€" been equally criticized for * of council that another tax â€" committee to compare are a separate issue from _ overvaluing properties. hike is inevitable. Cramahe‘s budget itemâ€"byâ€" property value reassessâ€" Current value assessment a €o un % 7| _ item and lineâ€"byâ€"line with ment done by _ the is based on a hypothetical Tim Post, a (Rikksss, neighbouring municipaliâ€" Municipal Property _ real estate market value for # local realtor, s ties such as Brighton and _ Assessment Corporation, a particular property in a said at the s ) Trent Hills to get an "apples â€" Chatterson meamamgeq civen municipality, based Feb. 1 coun: :_,-" ‘?‘ 4 to apples idea" of why tax points out, L :. % on what a willing buyer f cil meeting [ B rates differ between the a n _ d [ and seller would agree to as P that while &‘ [§ municipalities. Mr. Coombs _ ratepayers the market price. he‘d like to Res ) â€" said while council spends a _ having their Ratepayers groups such see no tax §S| lot of time trying to "shave properties as Picter _ Wyminga‘s increase he Copp 7;p, _ anickel off here and anothâ€" reassessed Cramahe Ratepayers believes _ it Post er there," they need to take _ to higher k Association _ and _ Paul % "is fiscal sulâ€" a bigger picture look at values were Hazell‘s Canadian Allfance T cide to go with a zero things like policing costs in _ some Mavor tee for Tax Awareness (CAFTA) increase." and the size of the three cases _ hit D I{ § in Trent Hills argue many q Mayor Lee Dekeyser â€" municipalities â€"industrial â€" with much ~"**" property owners paid far echoed Mr. Post‘s comâ€" and commercial bases, to larger tax increases than less when they bought their & ments saying that local govâ€" . name just two areas, to get o.42 or 0.27 per cent last homes,â€"years ago, than ; ernments, such as the 4 better handle on what year. today‘s market value and a County of Northumberland, _ drives _ tax rates and _ Ontario, under the previâ€" can‘t afford to be taxed which held the line or even accounts for the differenâ€" ous Tory _ government, â€" based on an inflated figure cut taxes in the early 1990s, _ tials. replaced a patchwork sysâ€" they might hypothetically are now having to pay the _ Coun. Ed Van Egmond tem of local municipal obtain were they to sell 4 piper and raise taxes draâ€" said he too believes council property tax assessment their property now. Mr. matically in part because of â€" should hold the line on with the provinceâ€"wide Hazell, a retired assessor, f deferred maintenance and â€" taxes this Pickeringâ€"based Municipal _ worked for the province for infrastructure work. MAe en â€"â€"~ â€" Property Assessment _ more than 30 years. 4 The county‘s draft budget â€" Prefacing. k Corporation, better known _ MPAC is a nonâ€"share capâ€" J calls for an eight per cent his remarks ; ‘ by its acronym of MPAC. ital, notforâ€"profit corporaâ€" tax increase this year. by humorâ€" w ‘ The government of the â€" tion. Every municipality in ¢ Both Mr. Dekeyser and â€" ously referâ€" i A day argued the hodgepodge _ Ontario is a member of the Mr. Post said a maximum _ ting to himâ€" linc of _ assessment _ across corporation, which is govâ€" increase of up to three per â€" self as a Nee wÂ¥ Ontario had led to erned by a 15â€"member cent is realistic. "D utch e fi inequities such as homes in board of directors. Eight Last year, the township â€" farmer," Mr. };’I’ J upscale areas of Toronto _ members of the board are portion _ of _ Cramahe V @ N Copy, EJ that hadn‘t been reassessed municipal representatives; ratepayers‘ _ tax â€" bills Egmond y,, Egmond in some cases since the five members represent increased by o.42 per cent, said origiâ€" 19408 and were grossly _ property taxpayers; and two said _ treasurer _ Mora â€" nally he had hoped to be undervalued for tax purposâ€" _ members represent provinâ€" Chatterson in an interview. _ able to cut the tax rate by 10 es. cial interests. All members However, _ the actual per cent. "Number one, I‘m Beginning in 1997, MPAC _ of the board are appointed increase reflected on the a realist" said Mr. Van created new assessed valâ€" _ by the minister of finance. bill was even less because Egmond, saying he knows ues for all properties, based taxpayers pay a "blended now that can‘t be done, so rate," she said, which also he‘d seitle for no increase includes school and county _ instead. taxes, While the county porâ€" Tax rates are determined tion was up slightly OV@r aaâ€"=>â€"â€"â€"~â€" m o aa : the previous year, the 3# e BV