2016 Tax supplementals surpass writeoffs
Tax supplementals narrowly surpass writeoffs for 2016
Exeter Times-Advocate
By Gord Whitehead
LAMBTON SHORES — Additionally assessed tax dollars exceeded by just over $5,500 those written off for the year 2016, averting a net decrease that had been budgeted for the year.
Treasurer Janet Ferguson reported supplemental (extra) taxation revenue of $170,622.05 compared to a total of $165,034.24 in reduced revenue through tax writeoffs. “The net tax increase for 2016 in Lambton Shores was $5,587.81 and will be reflected in the 2016 year-to-date financial statements,” Ferguson told the Jan. 17 meeting of council.
The municipality’s 2016 budget had anticipated a smaller supplemental gain of $110,3660.00 and also a lesser writeoff total of $137,957.00, the treasurer recalled. And that would have created a net revenue reduction of $27,591.00 for Lambton Shores.
The resulting net tax increases also produce higher than anticipated revenue for the County of Lambton and for support of school boards — the two other components of all property tax bills.
Most of the higher-than-projected supplemental taxation increase can be attributed to the addition of the tax roll of wind farm turbines as ‘omitted assessment’, Treasurer Ferguson explained. Other factors are updated improvements to properties that had been previously evaluated by Ontario’s Municipal Property Association Corporation (MPAC) and properties that had been omitted from the tax roll.
On the down side of the ledger, a portion of the higher-than-anticipated writeoff total results from MPAC’s granting property tax exemption to the two community health centres for the majority of their buildings in Grand Bend and Forest. Those exemptions took effect January 2015, meaning that two years of ‘adjustments’ are reflected in the 2016 writedown total, Ferguson reported.
Other council decisions
Approval of a bylaw authorizing the installation of stop signs at the intersections of Judith Street and Edmonds Boulevard, and Judith and John streets in Pinedale subdivision at the southern edge of Grand Bend.
The decision results from Ward 1 Coun. Dave Maguire’s December notice of motion citing a lack of control signage and Canada Post’s installation of a superbox that impedes vision and causes traffic to pull over to the side of the road allowance at Judith and Edmonds.
“At a tee intersection in an urban area such as the Pinedale subdivision, standard practice would be to have stop signs on the street where motorists are required to make a turning movement, in this case on Judith Street,” said Steve McAuley, director of community services.
He said appropriate warning signs will also be installed “for a short period” to inform motorists of the new installations that will have “minimal impact” on his transportation budget.