Duane Hicks
While tax levies, along with sewer and water rates, won’t be decided until later in the 2010 budget process, Fort Frances residents will see a two percent jump for most user fees, with a greater hike for waste management services, in the coming year.
Mayor and council discussed the 2010 user fee schedule at a special committee of the whole meeting late yesterday afternoon.
A bylaw to put the user fees into effect will be up for approval at the Dec. 21 council meeting.
The two percent hike affects 400-plus services provided by the town—ranging from building permits and marriage licences to tax cab licences and public hall rentals.
Treasurer Laurie Witherspoon explained the two percent increase is based on the Consumer Price Index, which rose 1.8 percent between October, 2008 and October, 2009.
Mayor and council agreed the two percent increase was fair, though several noted two percent is the highest increase they’d be willing to agree to given the current economic climate here.
As well, user fees that currently include the GST (such as ice surface and pool rentals, auditorium rentals, boat slips, cemetery-related fees, airport fuel, etc.) will go up another eight percent come July 1 when the new HST is implemented.
For example, an annual pool/fitness centre membership for an adult (resident) currently costs $424.52 (not including GST).
With a two percent increase, it will cost $433.01 (not including GST). With GST added, it will cost $454.67.
But after July 1, 2010, it will cost $489.31 because of the new HST.
Coun. Paul Ryan noted there’s clear indications the HST will become a reality.
“[Unfortunately], we have no control over the HST,” he said. “It’s just another tax upon the citizens.”
Meanwhile, user fees that will go up more than two percent are a couple related to waste management. This is to make up for decreasing revenues at the landfill and the increasing cost of recycling.
Bag tags will go up from $1.75 to $2 (a 12.5 percent increase) while the minimum charge for tipping at the landfill will jump from $15 to $16 (a six percent increase).
Other tipping fees, like the rate per tonne, only will go up two percent.
The user fee schedule will receive some fine-tuning between now and the Dec. 21 meeting.
Mayor Roy Avis, for instance, has asked the Administration and Finance executive committee to look at why photocopier rates are not the same at the Civic Centre, museum, and library, as well as having separate rates for low back and high back curbing.
