Council passes new user fee rates

As the Town of Fort Frances moves along with its 2006 budget, a bylaw to impose a new user fee schedule was passed by council at Monday night’s regular meeting.
With some exceptions, the rates are going up an average of two percent.
“We don’t want to fall behind and get into a situation where we need to freeze those user fees, and taxes alike I guess, and have to play catch up later, so a nominal increase has been imposed,” Mayor Dan Onichuk said after the meeting.
He noted the increase is based on the overall rise of the cost of living.
The fee hikes are across the board, from administration services to parks and cemeteries. The only exception is sewer and water rates, which the majority of council agreed to increase by two percent in late January.
Some of the fees will go into effect immediately while others (such as airport fees, ice surface rentals, and day care rates) won’t kick in until April, May, or June.
The public was encouraged to attend Monday night’s meeting and make a written or verbal presentation on the user fee schedule.
However, no one showed up to speak either for or against it.
A copy of the new user fee schedule will be made available at the information desk at the Civic Centre, as well as on the town’s website (www.fort-frances.com), in the near future, Clerk Glenn Treftlin said Tuesday morning.
Also at Monday night’s meeting, council:
•passed a bylaw to amend Bylaw 10/03 (this is to reinstate calendar parking on Fourth Street West from Central Avenue to Wright Avenue);
•passed a bylaw to approve an agreement with the Ministry of the Environment for the financing of a source water protection pre-screening project;
•passed a bylaw to approve a contract with Earth Tech Canada Inc. for engineering services;
•passed a bylaw to approve extensions to certain maintenance service agreements;
•referred a request from CUPE president Sid Ryan regarding the passage of a motion to ensure the fruition of “Best Start” transitional and infrastructure plans to the Community Services executive committee for its recommendation; and
•agreed to a request from Sci-Tech Ontario to proclaim March, 2006 as “Youth Science Month” in the Town of Fort Frances.